Full Moon
by Narutoenthusiast
Summary: What if Kyuubi never attacked Konoha? What if Minato and Kushina were still alive? How different would Naruto's life be living with a caring family and under the tutelage of the strongest shinobi in the village? Watch as he grows into a powerful ninja, rising through the shinobi rank earning himself a feared reputation just like his father.
1. The next generation

**Full Moon**(Aventure/Romance)

**Characters**: Naruto Uzumaki x Uzuki Yuugao

Umino Iruka x Mitarashi Anko

**Summary: **What if Kyuubi never attacked Konoha? What if Naruto actually had a family since the Yondaime and Kushina were still alive? Just how Naruto's world would be affected by such events. Watch as Naruto grow into a powerful and experienced shinobi, protecting his precious people as well as the village as a whole. Naruto x Yuugao pairing.

**Chapter 1 – The next generation**

It was 10th October. The Yondaime Hokage was finishing some paperwork in his office, when he decided to look at a photograph hidden inside one of his table. There she was his lover Kushina pregnant with their baby. This morning, Kushina went in labor and Minato was cursing the paperwork, since he wanted to be with his wife and his baby for the first time and yet, he was looking at some Anbu reports about border patrol missions near Iwa. Suddenly, a dog masked Anbu entered the room giving news.

"Yondaime-sama, I bring news from the hospital, the birth was a success, Kushina and the baby are okay." – Said the Anbu AKA Hatake Kakashi.

"Thanks, Kakashi, I must go there, then. **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **(shadow clone jutsu)." – Screamed Minato, leaving a clone to do his duties as Hokage and left for the Hospital.

"Very clever, Hokage-sama, if the Sandaime knew about this technique, he would have done his job in no time."

"huh, Sarutobi knew about the kage bunshin, he just didn't want to use it, let's go Kakashi".

* * *

**--At the Hospital--**

Kushina, a beautiful woman with long red hair, was looking at her baby. She could look at him forever and it wouldn't be a waist of time. Her baby was sleeping peacefully on her arms. His little blond hair was just like his father when he was born. As she turned to look at the window, she immediately recognized her fiancée's chakra signature coming to the hospital and smiled. Minato was a very busy person, but he always managed to make time for his family.

"Hello Kushina-chan. Is that our baby?"

"You bet it is, this is Naruto and is just like you when you're born, take a look."

"He is beautiful, blonde hair, blue eyes, oh look he's opening his eyes, and he is waking up."

When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw a man with golden hair smiling at him and somehow Naruto recognized the man, since he started to smile at the man, making happy baby noises and trying to reach the guy's hair. Sadly for Minato, the baby reached his hair and started pulling, hurting a lot. _Naruto stop it, it hurts, hehehhe!_ Everyone in the room was laughing at the father and son bonding. Right now, in the room there was Kakashi, disguised as Anbu, Jiraya as Naruto's godfather and Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. Kushina couldn't help but cry seeing that her fiancée and her son were already bonding like father and son, showing that their son will be raised with love and care from their father.

"Kushina-chan, he is beautiful, isn't he?" – Said Minato, earning a smile from his wife, while embracing her son.

"Of course he is, he is our baby, he is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."

After some time at the Hospital and a few jounin visitors, Minato and Kushina went home to take their Naruto and place him in his new creeb, located at the Namikaze mansion, near the Hyuuga compound. Once inside, Minato was greeted by his neighbor Hyuuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan.

"Greetings, Hokage-sama, how is Naruto?"

"Greetings, Hiashi-sama, he is fine, Kushina is inside fixing his creeb for him."

"It's great, Hokage-sama, me and the Hyuuga clan offers all the support and care for little Naruto." – Said Hiashi.

"It's good to hear, Hiashi-sama, but I'm worried about him growing up, though, I don't want for him to be spoiled by everyone, I want him to grow by himself. Oh well, for now there is no need to worry about that, now don't you agree Hiashi-sama?" – Said Minato, smiling to the Hyuuga leader.

"The boy was just born, Hokage-sama, at least until he is six years old, you don't have to worry about him growing up spoiled." – Said Hiashi, laughing at the lack of father experience by the Hokage.

After some talk between the leaders, both bid their farewell and each went towards their houses. Minato entered inside Naruto's room and saw the blond little gaki sleeping peacefully alongside Kushina. Seeing that, Minato just couldn't think on a better photo scene to remember by, that was the day that a new journey began and having a family to look after and support was by no doubt Minato's dream, since he meet Kushina back in Whirlpool Country.

* * *

**--Meanwhile at the Konoha Academy--**

Across the village, 8 years old purple haired Uzuki Yuugao was seen attending the Konoha Academy today, since the class teacher was lecturing about the history of the hokages of Konoha and each of their abilities and acts as village leader. After some boring lectures regarding the first and the second hokages, Yuugao was beginning to take interest when the Sandaime and Yondaime's history was being said by the class teacher. She did not like history too much, since most stories were rather exaggerated and far from the actual truth. Rather she enjoyed learning events that happened near her birth and beyond. Therefore, she liked hear the Sandaime that was trained by the Shodaime and the Nidaime as well as his nickname as being the 'professor'. But the Yondaime was by far her first subject in class in terms of history. One because he was still alive, two because his actions saved the village countless times and three was that just like any other kunoichi hopeful had a crush on their leader.

When suddenly the bell rang showing the students that they were getting a break for lunch. Yuugao went along with her red-eyed friend Yuhii Kurenai, in order to have some lunch at the Dango Place, their favorite place in Konoha, since they sometimes meet an older friend by the name of Mitarashi Anko. When they arrived there, they saw Anko chewing her second dango stick, showing her usual grin while scanning around the place. Anko was never known for being discreet about certain behaviors around people and the two friends knew that aspect from early experience. One time, a drunk chunnin came cursing Anko as being the 'snake bitch', needless to say that Anko beat the crap out of the guy, having the cortesy to take him to the hospital hanged on the neck by a snake that appeared out of her arm.

"Good Morning, Anko-chan, you're here already?" – Yuugao greated the snake mistress.

"Ah, Yuugao-chan, Kurenai-chan, how is school doing, is that bastard Iruka still boring you guys with history lessons?" – Said Anko as she remembered when Iruka and her were promoted to chunnin and that he wanted to become a teacher instead of being in active duty as shinobi.

"Don't say that, Anko-san, I believe it's vital for us to learn about our leader's history, don't you think, Yuugao-chan?" – Asked Kurenai, already expecting her friend to laugh at her question just like she always did.

"Oh, I don't care about the past leaders, but I could just hear the Yondaime's history all day if I could, he is so pretty, I can't wait to be a genin, so I can have missions and maybe some time alone with Minato-kun, wouldn't that be great?" – Said Yuugao, acting like a fan girl over the Yondaime, much to everyone's dismay. Actually, Kurenai and Anko wasn't that interested in their leader's looks, well not that they don't find him good looking, but they just didn't feel the same way as Yuugao did.

"Man, since she laid her eyes at the Yondaime that day, she stopped looking at other guys, to Yuugao's eyes that is only the Yondaime" – Sighed Kurenai, looking at her friend drooling only on memory.

"Sure, he is cute, but Kakashi-sempai is much cuter than him" – Anko mumbling, chewing some dangos. "What about you, Kurenai-chan, any man in particular?"

"As a matter of fact, I don't know anyone interest at the moment" – Kurenai answered, showing the reason why her nickname in the academy was the Ice Princess of Konoha, because of the fact that she was always by the book, showing more interest on the class than the whole classroom combined, not at all caring about boys at the time.

When they realized they were late to go to class, the two friends went running to the academy, well more Kurenai running and Yuugao walking, not sharing her friend's enthusiasm about the academy and learning. At the academy, they were learning about the elemental chakras that are within the elemental countries around the shinobi world.

"Okay, class, now I already think you were taught by your parents about the inner elemental chakra, seeing that every chunnin level ninja's chakra was based on any of the five different elemental chakras: Rai (Lightning), Kaze (Wind), Mizu (water), Tsuchi (earth) and Hi (fire), actually in Konoha, since we are in the Fire Country, the katon chakra is the most popular element, but wind type chakra is the most rare chakra type here in Konoha. As a matter of fact, I happen to know only one wind user that is the son of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Asuma."

Iruka went for another hour talk about the elemental chakra then called everyone to go outside for weapon and target practice. Upon hearing that, Yuugao suddenly woke up, she wanted to grow up as a weapon specialist and target practice was her favorite subject and she happened to be the best, since she never missed a target. When she was called to practice, everyone just stared at the target in awe, seeing that every shuriken and kunai that Yuugao was threw were being hit. Since she aced the test, the academy gave her a full set of recently made Kunai and shuriken just for her.

After school, Yuugao went home with a smile on her face, she was carrying her prize proudly when suddenly a couple of bullies arrived, demanding her to give them the weapons.

"Alright, you bitch, hand those kunai to us and we won't hurt you much, now give them to us." – One said with a strong tone, trying to make some killing intent.

"Oh, and why would I succumb to a guy that failed the exams three times, already?" – Said Yuugao, not showing any interest on the outcome of the situation, only wanting to go home and show her family the new kunais and shurikens.

"So, wanna play tough, don't you girlie, it's your funeral." – Said another one of them, already trying to kick her stomach.

Seeing this, Yuugao suddenly entered combat mode and took one of her new appointed weapons. After picking three kunais she began to threat the bullies, fainting the threats, so not to actually hurt them. Much to her fortune, the guys signaled defeat and ran away scared of the Kunais, screaming 'crazy lady' repeatedly. Jerks, word occasionally used by Yuugao to describe those who thinks that size and sex gender are everything.

* * *

**--At the Uzuki residence--**

A couple more minutes, she arrived home and went to show her father, her prize won at the academy. Uzuki Mamoto was a retired Anbu operative under the wing of Hatake Kakashi's command in squad 2. Nowadays, he fixed weapons for ninjas that were broken in battle. Yuugao's mother was a civilian, so she stayed at home, taking care of the house and her family. Suddenly, a beautiful girl with long purple hair entered the kitchen door, screaming to get her mother Uzuki Yakushi's attention.

"Kaa-san, look…look" – Shouted Yuugao, showing her new display of kunai and shuriken that she won at the academy.

"Easy, there Yuugao-chan, let me see what you got there. Those are very beautiful, Yuugao-chan, where did you find them?"

"I won at the academy for acing the target practice" – Screamed Yuugao with all the joy in the world, when she heard another footstep entering the house.

"Tou-san, look…look, I won them for acing an exercise at the academy."

"My my my, Yuugao-chan, you're becoming more like your old man by the minute, I remember when I earned a new seat of weapons like that, I was just like you, chearing all over the place." – Mamoto said, earning a smile from his daughter, but not a simple smile, it was a smile that Mamoto could see every day and just be glad that Kami gave him such joy in his life. So he just stared at Yuugao's smile, smiling even more, happy to have such a happy family, which didn't go unnoticed by his wife.

"Yuugao-chan, why don't you go to your room and choose a place for your new weapons, after that, come back down so we can fix dinner for today, okay?"

"Okay, Kaa-san, I'm on it, hey Tou-san, can you give me some katana display, I just love to see your Dance of the Crescent Moon style."

"Okay, Yuugao-chan, maybe after dinner, I'll show it to you, by the moonlight".

After that, Yuugao went upstairs screaming like never before, just happy. Upon seeing her husband's bright smile, Yakushi couldn't help but see the man that he turned out to be, a very capable ninja, a good husband and the best father figure for Yuugao.

"You know, I just amused by the way that our daughter's smile brighten up your day, like that, Mamoto-kun." – Said Yakushi.

"Jealous, aren't you? Hehhehehe, no every time I see her smile, I just thank to Kami-sama that he gave me the best family a man could ever want to have." – Said Mamoto watching to the clouds outside their house.

Upon hearing this, Yakushi went to her husband and just gave a kiss on the lips, showing to the man just how much love his wife feels for him. When Yuugao came down the stairs, she saw her parents cuddling each other with kisses, hugs as well as gentle whispers to each other's ears. Immediately, her heart showed Yuugao that the love of their parents were stronger than before and she only wished that she could find a man who could be there for her, just as her father was for her mother. Actually, in spite of the kunoichi's way of life, every girl or woman's wish are the same, they wish to find the one true man that can hold them tight and treat them with all the love the man could muster, showing to the female, thoughts of joy and happiness, finding the one to spend the rest of her life with. Yuugao, despite her crush on Namikase Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure, she knew deep inside that it would never happen and wished to find the one when time comes.

"Ah, Yuugao-chan, did you hear the big news?" – Shouted Yakushi, earning the interest of her daughter.

"What is it, Kaa-san?"

"The Yondaime's son was born this morning; I think his name is Namikaze Naruto."

"The Yondaime's son…could he be the one?" – Yuugao was caught wondering, since she was thinking on the subject of finding a man just like her mother found her father.

After some time, the Uzuki family had dinner, Mamoto showed his daughter his kenjutsu dance under the moonlight and Yuugao just looked amazed at her father's ability. But she wasn't the only one doing that, since her mother was watching her husband as well, remembering back the time when the met the first time, seeing him performing an exhibition to the Sandaime at the Anbu headquarters. Yuugao was again thinking and she concluded what she wanted in the future…One was being a strong and capable ninja following her father's abilities and finding a suitable man that could show her what her father show every day to her mother and me. _Oh my god, I'm too young to be thinking about having kids_.

* * *

**--At the Namikaze Household--**

It was approximately nine at night, and Minato was just entering his house, he was exhausted. After dealing with an Anbu mission that went wrong, the young Hokage had to calm the Fire Daimyou and assure him that not all missions are successful and Konoha ninjas were taught to deal with the outcomes of battle, should they encounter an obstacle during the mission. The Daimyou sighed in anticipation for losing a precious cargo, due to an army of bandits winning a battle against a recently promoted chunnin team and stealing the cargo which consisted of important medicine to one of Fire Country's villages that needed assistance. Minato, for his part, was relieved that the konoha ninjas's injures weren't life threatening and that they would recover in two or three days after some rest.

Still, Minato didn't want to lose his shinobi's lives, he wanted to spar as many lives possible during his reign as Konoha Hokage, but he realized deep inside that his dream would be far from reachable, seeing that death was a part of a shinobi's way of life. Inside his room, his wife was deep asleep as well as their Naruto. Minato was glad that he could come home after a stressful work and find his family smiling like they didn't have problems at all. Minato took a deep look towards his son and wondered if his son would follow his father's footsteps, entering the shinobi program. He sighed, thinking about sending his son on missions, worrying about his safety and everything. Minato sighed once again, thinking that he had to prepare the young generation better to face stronger enemies, so he went to his desk at home and took a scroll that he was looking at, the scroll involved the academy routine, as well as the exercises and tests. He was also looking at the way Konoha establishes the teams of genins fresh out of the academy. He needed to change that as well. He knew that the latter would be better to improve right now, since he already made up his mind as to what was his idea.

"So let me see, rather than keeping on certain traditions about genin teams, I think I'll establish them as a way to cover each member's weaknesses. The academy actually would have to improve the battle part, beginning to show the students, D and C ranked ninjutsus other than only E ranked ones, like Bunshin and Henge. The students would have to have access to an little introduction on elemental ninjutsu training, as well as genjutsu, since the latter was beginning to crumble around Konoha, the ninjas seems to forget about the art of deception and only focus on the battle and destruction, therefore, focusing only taijutsu and ninjutsu. Based on the number of genins, Konoha can form different kind of teams, being a demolition team, information gathering team, full front team. The options can be rather promising. A full front team would resort to taijutsu and short distance ninjutsu of all kinds, the information gathering team would be focused on genjutsu and espionage, leaving demolition teams for strong and long range ninjutsus. Now these teams' missions would be based on their speciality, but their jounin sensei would have to have knowledge in more than one area of expertise, so that the genins can train in other forms of fighting as well." – Wondered Minato for a while, resting on the house's couch, next to a glass of sake.

But the problem with his new academy training is that he had to wait a bit, since he wanted to see just how the old system worked, still assuring that even though the academy's way of teaching was old and didn't bring any practical results, in fact the students only showed results when they were already in a team of genins. This was going to change, wondered Minato. But he sighed in defeat for the day, figuring that he had to consider a lot of aspects in order to change practically the entire teaching system of future shinobis, that were designed originally by the Sandaime, in his first year as Hokage. He went to sleep, remembering to talk to the Sandaime, tomorrow, since he was now Minato's chief advisor in political affairs and shinobi program.

* * *

**--On the next day, inside the Hokage's office--**

Minato was handing the worst enemy of every kage's existence right now…paperwork. Suddenly, a knock on the door, hearing his secretary informing the Sandaime is waiting for him.

"Send him in, Matsumi-san" – Screamed Minato.

"Oh, Yondaime-sama, it's nice to see you, what do you request to talk about?" – Said Sarutobi, with formalism.

"Don't need to be formal here, Sarutobi, I was thinking about changing your school program, since our current don't actually train our students well enough to face our missions."

"Yes, at the beginning, the system was promising, but the students lacked motivation, graduating the academy buy just performing E ranked jutsus, I believe as well that a small change should be welcomed" – Thought Sandaime.

"Read this scroll. In there, are some of my ideas to change" – Said Minato, handing his scroll to the Sandaime.

After careful reading, Sarutobi was thinking again. He considered all of Minato's ideas and was quite pleased with his successor for not putting the next generation to suffer at the academy, instead his plan formed a teaching more based on fighting than teaching theory lessons. Also a quite interest in updating the strategy lessons, showing the students situations on hypothetical missions to see how they would fare against obstacles in future missions. But Sandaime was getting second thoughts about teaching students C ranked jutsus, since he knew that they would have high responsibilities about fairly using them. Minato, for his part, actually sighed thinking the same as his predecessor.

"If you thinking about teaching them C ranked jutsus, scratch that, I think that D ranked jutsus would be better to teach, since not only the destructive rate and the chakra needed for it would be smaller, but the genins hopefuls would have a better grasp out of elemental jutsu and not using them to a high level, until they have experience with it, don't worry."

"Yes, it would be rather disastrous if academy students were to send big fireballs all over the academy, destroying everything. I think this will be quite beneficial to our training program, Minato-san."

"Yes it would. We can also improve our medical training, since over the years, Tsunade-sama made quite an impact on the young kunoichis." – Said Minato, remembering when he was a chunnin at the time and the meeting where Tsunade requested the improvement of the medical training.

"Yes, she is quite capable. If she was here, she would be heading our hospital and improving it like never before, but she lost her family here in Konoha, so it would be difficult for her to come back." – Sighed Sandaime, after the past three attempts of trying to reach her.

"That's a pity, but Sarutobi, we need to move on, if she wishes to come back, we are all arms for her. But right now, we have to think of a new academy regimen, there is a lot of aspects to cover."

"Right, so how is your son doing?"

"He is doing great, actually, he slept from the time I arrived home yesterday night and he still didn't wake up, the doctor said he had a lot of stamina for a baby, so I believe he won't need more time to sleep." – Minato said, remembering about his child.

"That's good to know, Minato".

After quite some time talking about the changes on the academy, Sandaime left Minato in his office and Minato just went to his agenda, as well as eliminating the paperwork that was killing him. He didn't want to use the Kage Bunshin, since that was considered cheating and it wouldn't help him much, he needed to understand the missions, in order to send the best man for it. Sure, he wouldn't apply the new measures of picking teams, based on what he discussed with Sandaime, instead he considered selecting the ninjas based on mission historical and success.

* * *

**--At the Namikaze Compound--**

Meanwhile, Naruto did woke up and he just had to tell everyone that he did it. He started crying and screaming, showing to Kushina that her work was just cut out for. Since her maternal instincts appeared, she was able to somehow know what Naruto was feeling, so she knew damn well what to do, when he was hungry, feeding him with maternal milk. Now, Naruto wasn't an ordinary child, his physical measures were off the scale for a baby, he was 53.5 cm tall and weighted 4.8 kgs, not to mention that because of his stamina, Naruto could damn well suck Kushina dry and still be hungry. Seeing this, Kushina already had prepared spare bottles of milk so that her never-satisfying son could somehow manage to be satisfied. At seeing Naruto drinking non stop, Kushina sighed wondering if Minato was ever like this when he was a baby. After two bottles, Naruto stopped drinking, showing that he was full. After some burps on his account, Naruto went to sleep again, giving some temporary vacation for Kushina. She actually had quite a lot of stamina for a kunoichi, but Naruto was just too much for her, she was caught wondering what would be when he would be bigger, as if the stamina would naturally increase. Still, Kushina was smiling, she knew somehow that Naruto would have Minato's stamina, remembering that it took a while for Minato to be tired.

Suddenly, Kushina sighed, hearing that Naruto somehow managed to wake up and started screaming again, this time, wanting something else. When Kushina saw it, she sighed seeing what her son did and she had to change his diaper. Yeah, Kushina was going to work like hell to raise the stamina-like baby in front of her.


	2. Playing ninja

**Full Moon**(Aventure/Romance)

**Characters**: Naruto Uzumaki x Uzuki Yuugao

Umino Iruka x Mitarashi Anko

**Summary: **What if Kyuubi never attacked Konoha? What if Naruto actually had a family since the Yondaime and Kushina were still alive? Just how Naruto's world would be affected by such events. Watch as Naruto grow into a powerful and experienced shinobi, protecting his precious people as well as the village as a whole. Naruto x Yuugao pairing.

**Chapter 2 – Playing Ninja**

**Four years time skip**

Naruto, now four years old, woke up from his bead, running to the kitchen, where his mother and his father would be taking today's breakfast. When he got there, he was greated by their two fathers as well as a third person who appeared to be reading an orange book, while zipping a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Tou-san, Kaa-san, Kakashi – nisan." – Said Naruto in a cheerful manner

"Good Morning, Naruto." – The three responded in unison.

After that, Naruto sit on his chair and a well served breakfast with some milk mixed with coffee and some bread. He finished it in less than ten minutes and was already bouncing on the living room, going to the garden to enjoy the beautiful sunlight that was displaying in Konoha. Yeah, Naruto had a family who took care of him as well as play with him, he even made friends with the son of Hyuuga Hizashi, Neji Hyuuga. In fact, they've met about three weeks ago, when the hokage asked Hiashi to watch Naruto for the day, since Minato and Kushina were to travel to the Fire Daimyou's house in order to establish some connections with the Earth Daimyou for trading commerce and merchants. During this time, a kumo ninja infiltrated the Hyuuga manor, wanting to kidnap the daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi and was going to succeed had Naruto not screamed the name 'intruder', as well as saying loud for the guards to show 'why are you kidnapping Hinata'.

After hearing this, the entire Hyuuga's guard appeared and captured the kumo ninja, therefore rescuing Hinata from the hand of the kumo ninja., Suddenly, both Hiashi,Hizashi and Hizachi's son congratulated on saving the Hyuuga heir as well as the Byakugan's secrets. That's when Naruto and Neji met and since they are the same age, they became friends in an instant. Actually, the boys started sparring since then, so Naruto began his ninja training with his father, seeing that he made a rival out of Hyuuga Neji.

Right now, Naruto was doing his morning routine, running 10 laps around the compound, as well as making 100 pushups. After that, he trained with a little wooden dummy, the taijutsu style that his father taught him. Even though, Naruto was excitedly overjoyed, you could see him concentrating on the hitting the enemy, rather than start punching and kicking the dummy without any coordination whatsoever. Minato had finished his breakfast and came to see his son practicing taijutsu just like every day, since the Hyuuga incident. He was just amazed at the display of commitment that Naruto displayed when he trained like that. It would be impossible at his age, to start losing some baby fat, but if the person were to see closely, they could see little muscles forming and knuckles forming on his hand, enduring his punches much better.

Kakashi, for his chance, was smiling at his nephew. He was already a legend at ANBU as Commander of Squad #1 and he was considering a position at Konoha's Jounin, seeing that being in Anbu showed some of Kakashi's deepest and most intense battles he fought and he was becoming tired of doing A and S ranked missions, mostly S ranked missions, commonly regarded as being 'suicide missions'. He would still apply for leaving Anbu, wait the Anbu's chief's dismissal as well as a approval of the Hokage. But seeing that he was late, he signed for his sensei the Yondaime, who just sighed and went back inside to put on some clothes and leave to go to the Hokage tower.

"Naruto-kun, I'm leaving okay, I have to go to work, keep practicing, okay, next month we are going on some chakra knowledge and introduction in low level jutsus, okay" – Said Yondaime, earning a positive nod and a smile from Naruto. Minato always received that nod, he knew that Naruto was so focused at hitting the dummy, that he didn't bother to turn his head and say something to his father.

When ready, Minato walked over to Kushina, giving her a soft kiss on the left chick, saying goodbye to work. Minato and Sarutobi would finish the last details of the new Academy teaching and it would hopefully be applied around next year, since this year's class already started and it wouldn't do any good to just change the course in the middle of the year. After he left, Kushina decided to see her son as he was still looking at the dummy, panting a little bit. _Sure, he had a lot of stamina, but he is only four._

In order to prevent Naruto from falling on the ground exhausted, Kushina did the only thing that she knew could take Naruto away from his training. Two weeks ago, Kushina entered Naruto in a shougi quick course in order for Naruto to train his mind a little bit and forget about the physical torture, words put by Kushina to Minato one time. Naruto actually enjoyed the game and he enjoyed passing time with his mother a lot. After they played a few matches as Naruto lost them all, showing some sort of irritation towards the fact that her mother beat the crap out of him. But for a four year old, Kushina recognized that Naruto in a few time, win the game if he grow consistent manner just like he has been showing until now. Today, Naruto wanted to play with his friend Neji for a while so Kushina took him to the Hyuuga compound, so that she could visit her neighbor and wife of Hyuuga Hizashi, Hyuuga Tenko. They became friends mainly because of Naruto and Neji, but they found in each other, a friend that they could bribe about their son's development as well as curse some of their husband's antics.

After some time and a quick spar between Naruto and Neji, with Neji winning by very little, Naruto and Kunisha thanked everyone for their stay and went to the Nara residence. Kushina wanted to introduce Naruto to Nara Shikamaru son of Nara Shikaku, since not only Kushina's friends with Shikaku's wife, called Nara Yoshino. Upon walking on the streets towards the Nara manor, Naruto realized that they were going to a whole different place.

"Kaa-san, where are we going?" – Asked Naruto in a polite manner.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, I'm taking you to meet Nara Yoshino's son Nara Shikamaru, he is the same age as Hinata, but I can see that you're going to be very fond of each other. The Naras trained their child in strategy since they were one year old, so Shikamaru likes to play shougi a lot."

"Wait, you're finding a partner that I can beat in Shougi?" – Asked Naruto wondering if his mother was done playing with him.

"No, Naruto-kun I'm just introducing you to him. Also is the fact that I wanted to talk to Yoshino a little bit, since we haven't talked to each other in ages, you can meet her son, he's quite smart for a two year old.

When they reached the house, Nara Yoshino, wife of Nara Shikaku greeted them good morning and motioned them to enter the compound. Inside, Naruto meet Shikamaru, while Kushina and Yoshino started the old 'my stupid husband' talk, much to the dismay of Naruto and Shikamaru who ended hearing part of their mother's conversation. After a little talking, Naruto actually enjoyed Shikamaru's presence, they made a new friend even if Naruto was two years older than him. Naruto also cursed the lazyness of his new friend who only wanted to lie down, while recusing every game Naruto offered by muttering the world 'troublesome'.

After a few hours, Naruto and Kushina left the Nara residente, after Naruto insisted to his mother to leave so not to become lazy. Needless to say both women were on the ground laughing their hearts out, after hearing Naruto saying the same thing his father said to Shikaku when they first met. Now, Naruto and Kushina entered the library so Kushina could buy a new book for her to read, while Naruto was looking around. Noticing that the library was divided in shinobi and non-shinobi literature, he of course went straight to the shinobi section. To say that Naruto was surprised, it would be an understatement, he was literally drooling at the books. _Oh my god, there is so much I could see here to learn, what to pick..what to pick…let's see…Intro to chakra molding…hand signs and their importance…Jutsu making…I think I'll pick these ones. _

At the end of the library, Kurenai was doing the same as Naruto, but since she was much more advanced than he was, she was at the genjutsu section, picking two books about how to learn and how to practice genjutsus, when she saw a little blond there looking at the introduction books and she could see that he was astonished with what he was reading. _How old is he? He appears to be around 5 and he is already interested in reading books, huh if only Yuugao were like us, right little gaki._ She was awake from her thoughts, when a beautiful woman with long brown hair appeared behind the infant and smiled at him. _Must be his mother. _

"You want to buy those, Naruto-kun?" – Said Kushina with a smile on her face, seeing if Naruto would follow the same steps as his father, remembering that her husband was a genius shinobi when growing up.

"Can I, please Kaa-san, I really like them, please?" – Screamed Naruto, using the puppy eye jutsu to his mother, much to Kushina's delight.

'_At least I don't have to worry about his studies' _"Of course you can Naruto-kun, let's go pay for this, shall we?"

After leaving the store, Naruto and Kushina returned to the Namikase compound, with Kushina showing a 'ear to ear' smile on her face, seeing Naruto reading the book the whole way home. The first one that he was reading, was chakra molding since his father would teach it to him in a month and he wanted to show his father what he will learn from the book. Upon arrival, Naruto and Kushina settled down and Naruto asked for a quick lunch while he was reading the chakra molding book.

"Kaa-san, can I have a sandwich, while I read this book?" – Said Naruto never taking his eyes off the book.

"Of course, Naruto-kun, I'll make one for you, but don't get to close to the book, your eyes can hurt a little bit."

"Okay, Kaa-san, it's just that this book explains how to mold chakra, as well as explain some chakra control exercise at the end of it, I can't wait to read it." – Said Naruto.

"Chakra control, huh? Tell you what, what about you read a little and them we can discuss the book?" – Said Kushina, handing Naruto a sandwich.

"Sure thing, Kaa-san, thanks a lot"

After that, Naruto just sit on the lunch table and started reading for about three hours, when Minato entered the room. He was about to say hi to his son when Kushina waved him off, saying that Naruto was studying. Needless to say that Minato was indeed surprised to see a four year old studying about chakra molding, but he was slightly scared about it, since Naruto was only four and he should be outside playing, enjoying his childhood a little. Remembering the past, Minato wasn't worried about his son, the kid played a lot with Neji and Shikamaru, from what Kushina told him. Add to the fact that Naruto considers practicing Taijutsu and learning what it takes to be a shinobi like playing and enjoying life.

* * *

**--At the academy--**

Today's class ended early, since all the class had to do was practice some low level jutsus and them deliver a report about one of the Hokages. Seeing that the class had some free time, Yuugao and Kurenai rushed to the dango place so to grab something to eat. Kurenai was carrying her books along with her, so that she could study some more at home, much to the displeasure of the purple haired genin wannabe.

"Kurenai-chan, why didn't you leave those books at the academy, why do you study so much?"

"I like to study, plus I've been interest to learn about genjutsu and the art of deception, I think it's really cool" – Said Kurenai with a proud face.

"Whatever, Kenjutsu is so much better than genjutsu, plus genjutsu relies on the mind, while kenjutsu does more damage." – Said Yuugao, trying to win the argument.

"If the enemy's mind is damaged, how can he fight anyone, he would be rendered useless."

"Whatever, Kurenai-chan."

"You know, I happened to see a blonde kid buying some books at the library, you should be more like him, Yuugao, I'm sure that there is tons of books about Kenjutsu"

"Blonde kid, what does he looks like?" – Said Yuugao remembering about Anko's description of the Yondaime's son.

"He appears to be 4-5 years old, golden hair, deep cerulean blue eyes, oh and his mother was very beautiful, yes, she has this long brown hair. Well, I think she was his mother, since he called her that, but I was impressed with him, nonetheless, he bought on chakra introduction and some other books."

"Kurenai-chan, isn't that boy's name Naruto?" – Asked Yuugao, just waiting for the confirmation.

"Now that you said it, his mother did call him Naruto-kun, but why do you ask?"

"Baka, Naruto is the Yondaime's son." – Said Yuugao, cursing her friend's density and the same time wondering about Kurenai's news on Naruto. She already heard from Anko that the boy trained very hard every day on his stamina as well as taijutsu, also Anko told her that he almost broke a wooden dummy after some consecutive hit on the dummy's chest. She was impressed nonetheless with the little gaki's determination, since he was only four years old and was already interested in becoming a shinobi.

"What!? He is the Yondaime's son? – Exploded Kurenai, now wondering about his face and the fact that he did resembled their leader's attributes. "Now that you said, he did resembled Yondaime-sama, he is an interesting kid, when I was his age all I wanted was to play around.

"Yes he is, Kurenai-chan, you do remember what Anko said that day about his taijutsu, didn't you" – Said Yuugao, trying to picture a little boy hit a wooden dummy with such force.

"Yes I remember, actually I don't believe that a four year old could almost break a wooden dummy." – Answered Kurenai.

"Why would Anko-chan lie about that, she doesn't know him, she haven't even met him."

"Point taken."

For quite a while the two remained talking and after lunch, then both of them went separate ways. But both of them were thinking about the four year blond and what they did when they were his age.

"_When I was his age, all I did was play with dolls and help my mother at the garden" (Kurenai)_

"_Only four and he's already training to be a ninja, hell at that age, all I ever cared about was to play, eat and sleep_" _(Yuugao)_

* * *

**--At the Namikaze Compound--**

After reading the book for a while, Naruto was with Kushina, discussing the things that Naruto learned from the book. Needless to say that Naruto was fired up wanting to learn everything that is to know about being a shinobi and be one of the best shinobis ever, just like his mother and his father.

* * *

**--One month later--**

Naruto was doing his morning routine as well as enhancing his taijutsu, up to the time that his blows were delivering heavy damage on the wooden dummy. Suddenly her father came outside the clearing and saw his son almost breaking his first wooden dummy and went close to him. Today would be Naruto's chakra molding training, but Minato was already assuming that his son already knew at least how to mold chakra because of the book.

"Naruto-kun, today we'll begin chakra molding exercises." – Said Minato, showing his authority as Sensei with a focused and determined look to Naruto.

"Okay, Tou-san sensei." – Said Naruto, trying to mimic the determined eyes of his father.

"So, since you already heard the theory behind the chakra molding from the book, let's move to the actual thin, okay now watch Naruto, I'm gonna show one of the hand signs and you're going to mold chakra to the fullest, so I can have a grasp at your chakra reserves. Now this is the "ram" seal, see it. Great, now mold as high as you can.

"Okay, here I come".

Upon moving his hands to form the ram seal, Naruto began molding chakra to the fullest. He was molding chakra now for two minutes and his father was smirking, seeing that he only could go up to four minutes at the age of 6. Another two minutes and Naruto continued to mold chakra much to his father's utter surprise since Naruto was continuing. Another three minutes and Naruto was starting to feel dizzy from slight chakra exhaustion, so he stopped molding and looked to see his father's jaw open wide. Needless to say Minato was astonished to see his son with four years old, molding chakra for eight minutes, but he shrugged his thoughts when Naruto looked at him.

"So Naruto-kun, your chakra reserve is as big as your stamina, that's good, but since you have such chakra capacity, it would be more beneficial in the long run that you focus more on chakra control and less on expanding your chakra reserves. But never focus entirely on one of them, just a little more control then expanding it, got it?"

After a nod from Naruto, Minato began explaining the 12 hand seals necessary for molding chakra and the ones necessary to perform jutsus. Since Naruto was already reading his next book on hand seals, he already knew all the hand positions, but he still wasn't able to do all the signs in a sequence, so he took the time to just do hand seals without molding chakra until he did them without thinking. After Naruto learned the hand signs, Minato went to the first chakra control exercise that involved spinning a leaf on top of the forehead with only chakra. With that, Minato left Naruto practicing and went to his office to start his work.

* * *

**--At the Hokage's office--**

Inside the office, Sandaime and Minato were finishing the new teaching ritual that the academy will be doing. Right now, what left was to decide the duration of the academy. Both of them would consider the age of 5 suitable to start, but they didn't want to produce an army of Uchiha Itachi, who became Anbu captain by the age of 13. So they decided to establish the start of the academy at the age of 6, therefore a child can just be a child until they started at the academy. Plus Minato wouldn't have to worry about Naruto entering the academy next year and test his new program. Now thinking about Naruto, Minato was taken aback by the fact that his son could mold charka up to eight minutes at his age, but he was worried about Naruto's chakra control, since it would be harder for him to manage low level jutsus that don't require much chakra to perform.

The sandaime took a look at his successor's puzzled face and began to ask.

"What troubles you, Minato-kun?"

"It's about Naruto's chakra level, he managed to mold chakra up to eight minutes, but I'm more concerned about the fact that it would be harder for him to perform low level jutsus." – Said Minato expressing his concerns.

"Wow, eight minutes you say, that's impressive. But you're right, he would get his work cut out for him, however as you say the boy practices up to exhaustion, doesn't he? He'll be fine, he still has two years for the academy, I think by then his chakra control will be more than adequate to do E ranked jutsus." – Said Sandaime, easing Minato's concern a little bit.

"I think you're right, Sandaime. My son is smart and determined, he'll be just fine."

* * *

**--At the Namikaze Compound--**

On the next day, Naruto woke up after sleeping just a few hours. He was in bed thinking about what his father said about charka control and the fact that the leaf exercise was slowly improving, but not at a pace that Naruto wanted to. He was feeling close hand now what his father said to him about the difficulty of chakra control, so he thought it would be better to read the part of his book about chakra control so to see if he could learn some techniques that helped him for the leaf exercise. Quickly reading throw the pages, he came across a meditation exercise that when practiced daily, would improve concentration and was great for learning chakra control.

"Ok, in order to meditate, the practitioner must sit in a comfortable position, close his eyes and concentrate. The place of meditation is necessary in order for the exercise to be effective, so outdoors would be perfect. When outside, close the eyes and concentrate on hearing sounds you wouldn't normally focus on, like the sound of water dripping, the sound of the wind blowing and the sound of nature." – Said Naruto, reading the book loudly.

After reading, he got out and started to meditate, but before that he did his morning routine improving his stamina and punishing the wooden dummy. After that, he just sit on the grass and closed his eyes. Because of the energy of the taijutsu, Naruto was having trouble concentrating and closing his eyes, but because of his determination, he focused his mind on hearing the sounds that the book described. After twenty minutes, Naruto was having no luck since he couldn't hear those sounds, but with a clear mind, he managed to come up with a plan in order to hear the sounds. He began channeling chakra through his ears and was amazed at what he was listening. Apart from feeling the breeze at his face, he was able to hear it travelling in air, he was doing, he was concentrating and felt really good for him. This exercise managed to calm his nerves and eased his mind to the task in hand. _OK, I learned how to medidate, but how can I learn chakra control from this._

Meanwhile, Neji arrived at the Namikaze Compound, reaching for his friend, who according to Kushina was at the garden training. Neji was quite found of Naruto over the years, they sparred a lot and played together. Upon arriving the garden, Neji managed to see Naruto in the middle of the garden, just sitting there with his eyes closed.

"What the hell is he doing with his eyes closed? Wait a minute…BYAKUGAN!!

Neji was considered the Hyuuga prodigy and he was able to use the family's kekkei genkai at the age of 4 already. What he saw Naruto doing, he couldn't figure out, Naruto was channeling chakra through his ears and his eyes were shut. Seeing this, he decided to go up to him and ask what he was doing. When he arrived, Naruto slowly opened his eyes and let the sun light slowly enter his corneas, hurting a little bit, because of the sudden light and a presence of a certain person.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" – Neji started.

"Oh, Neji, I was medidating a little bit." – Said Naruto with one hand on the back of his head and smiling.

"Meditating, what for?"

"You see, my father said that I have high chakra reserves and he said that my chakra control would be harder to manage. So, seeing I was having trouble with the leaf exercise, I read on a book that medidating helped improving concentration and focus. And as I was medidating, I started channeling chakra through my ears in a way as to hear sounds that you normally wouldn't hear. And since I managed to channel chakra through a part of my body, I think my chakra control improved a lot." – Said Naruto, explaining his reasons to Neji.

"Huh, only you to do that for chakra control. Hey I was looking for some morning exercise, want to help me?" – Said Neji, smirking and getting in a taijutsu stance.

"Sure, but I believe that this time we'll see who is better, huh Neji?"

"Let's go".

Suddenly, Neji charged at Naruto with a punch aiming Naruto's chest, but was dodged with ease by Naruto, by changing the direction of the punch with his arm as well as quickly swift to the side, turning with a wide kick to Neji's stomach. Seeing this, Neji continued the way he was heading for and rolled to the ground as to avoid the tackle. Seeing how Naruto was fairing in battle, Neji tried to fight using his kekkei genkai like his father instructed a while ago and then charged Naruto once again. Neji suddenly saw Naruto channeling chakra to his legs and was amazed when Naruto suddenly jumped away from the tackle and appeared on Neji's side, aiming a punch at Neji's face, which was avoided by the Hyuuga with his arms.

"Wow, Neji you managed to fight with the Byakugan, that's great." – Said Naruto never taking his eyes of his opponent.

"Yeah, but tell me how you channeled chakra through your feet like that."

"Oh, I was testing something, since when I channeled chakra through my ear, my hearing was better, I figured that channeling chakra through my legs, I would jump higher and get away from your blow, I guess it worked, huh" – Said Naruto showing a grin that somehow grew on him and it became his characteristic grin.

"I don't know if I should be impressed or not. For once you changed your strategy in the middle of the battle, but also you tried something you never knew it worked before."

"hhehehe" – Just laughed Naruto.

For a little while, they sparred some more and Neji went home satisfied about the exercise and his rival's quick improvisation skills. For Naruto's part, he went back to his room and decided to rest a little bit, before playing a little bit. Actually he was only four years old and already quite advanced in terms of abilities, but Naruto also played with some toys, since he is still a child no less no more.

Two hours later, Naruto went downstairs to have dinner with his family and managed to see Minato and Kushina in what could be described as a couple on a movie and sighed. _Almost every day??_ He was caught wondering, while sitting on a chair and continued to stare at the couple having some time together. Even though this was not a very pleasant sight for him (Not that he didn't like to see his parents together) but he didn't want to intrude their moment, so he went outside and looked at the full moon at the sky, shinning with all intensity and illuminating almost everything. Now this was a sight that Naruto enjoyed as much as training, the moon always calmed him down and the excess of energy in his body just seemed to vanish even if it is for a second. He was so caught on the site that he didn't hear his mother calling him to get some dinner.

After the third attempt, Kushina was getting worried about his son, since he didn't come like he was used to, so she went upstairs. Meanwhile Minato went outside for a little while and just feel the night breeze wash away his worries. When he stepped outside, he saw his little one staring at the full moon smiling.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" – Minato asked, sitting close to his son, scaring Naruto a little bit.

"Oh Tou-san, you're here. Yeah, it's very beautiful, especially on a day like this with no clouds to stop her from shining like the sun." – Said Naruto almost hypnotized by the view on the moon.

Then, Father and son was looking at the moon at the same time, when Kushina came outside, screaming for her son's name, finding not only Naruto but Minato as well looking up.

"What are you two doing outside?" – Kushina said, amazed at the resemblance of Naruto and Minato with just the height and the clothes that were different.

"We're appreciating the full moon, kaa-san, sit with us, take a look for yourself" – Said Naruto.

"Ok, but I don'…." – It was all that kushina said, before she looked at the moon and understood what Naruto and Minato were so amazed at, it was really beautiful. Kushina was right now thinking two things. _I never paid attention to the moon like that, it's so beautiful, but I would have never know that a four year stamina freak like Naruto could meditate as well as stare at the moon like this._

Kushina then stopped looking at the moon and looked at her son. He was showing the most sincere smile she has ever seen him showing. It appeared that Naruto was in love with the full moon. Kushina looked at his son's eyes and became terrified for him. _Those eyes, how can he show those eyes at his age, it's the eyes from someone passionate, someone thoughtful, someone relaxed, someone peaceful. _Kushina was afraid of seeing her son at the moment, she felt like he was growing faster than ever before and she was fearing that his childhood would end sooner than normally expected. _I better talk to Minato about loosing up his training a little bit, so that he could at least be a kid for once._

"Ok, dinner is on the table, let's go you two." – Said Kushina getting up

"Ok, let's go Naruto-kun, I'm hungry and I know you are as well." - Said Minato carrying his son inside on top of his shoulder, listening his son cheer for his father and smiled.

After served, the Namikazes were eating when Naruto shoved the question that made Minato and Kushina dropped their chopsticks on the floor and Minato choking the food.

"So, just what were you doing here in the kitchen, just a little while ago?" – Said Naruto, mentally laughing his ass off, seeing the looks that his parents were displaying.

"W-What are you talking about, Naruto-kun?" – Kushina tried to cover from their son.

"When I came downstairs, I saw you two just close to each other, hugging and stuff, it was before I went outside and saw the moon."

"Oh, that, I was just hugging your mother, Naruto-kun, why are you asking?" – Said Minato, not wasting time trying to lie to his son.

"No reason, just curious, I guess" – Said Naruto, dismissing the subject.

After a while, they finished dinner and Naruto tried to help his mom by taking the plates and handing to her. Kushina smiled at his son, saying that he didn't need to help, but he insisted and she smiled again. _Such a gentleman. _When Naruto finished everything, he went upstairs towards his room, while Kushina found the perfect time to talk to Minato.

"Minato-kun, can we talk about something?"

"Sure thing, Kushina-chan, what is it?"

"It's about Naruto-kun, I don't know, I think he is growing too fast, if he continue this way, he won't have a happy childhood and I'm afraid of that, can't you loosen up a bit on his training or just let him play with his toys like a normal boy, I've never seen a boy just stare at the moon like he did. Minato-kun, I could see his eyes, it wasn't a kid, was something else, I don't know." – Said Kushina, showing her concerns to Minato, much to Minato's concern.

"Kushina-chan, I don't know if he's growing too fast like you said, I mean Shikaku's kid keeps looking at clouds all the time. As for his training, I'm not forcing anything, it's he who keeps wanting to train all the time. Don't worry, Kushina-kun, I saw his eyes as well that time and I can see that he's growing up, but that's unavoidable, the boy loves the full moon. This is good for him, to learn about passion and beautiful views."

"I know about Shikamaru from Yoshino. But Naruto unlike Shikamaru is a stamina freak, how can he meditate, how can he just stop and look at the moon, like he could stare at it all the time. He is four, he can't be that evolved as to control his energy like that, he is just a kid." – Said Kushina, now more concerned than ever, knowing that her husband wasn't with her on this predicament.

"Don't worry, Kushina-chan, Naruto plays with Neji, little Hinata, even Shikamaru. And I still see him playing with toys as well as train. He is a bright child, he likes to do such things, than leave him be. I don't want to impose something on his life and I'm not saying that I won't be harsh on him if he does something bad, all I'm saying is that I'll let him do what he believes it's best for him, I'll guide him through it but he is the one who has to make the decisions for himself in the end, not me and you. Let's trust our boy, he'll do what is right for him and we'll support him in a way that he feel confident about telling us something or asking us something. Also, Kushina-chan, it's my job to boss around the village and I'll have to boss him when he becomes shinobi, but right now I will leave him make his way." – Said Minato, reassuring his wife, who smiled at her man's speech.

"I'm sorry, Minato-kun, I'm just worried that's all, all in due time, right?"

"Right"

"So, Minato-kun, are you gonna hug me again or not? We are not finished, you know?" – Said Kushina, with a devious look at her husband, asking him to follow to the bedroom.

Needless to say that the Hokage was smiling the next day.


	3. Scary times

**Full Moon**(Aventure/Romance)

**Characters**: Naruto Uzumaki x Uzuki Yuugao

Umino Iruka x Mitarashi Anko

**Summary: **What if Kyuubi never attacked Konoha? What if Naruto actually had a family since the Yondaime and Kushina were still alive? Just how Naruto's world would be affected by such events. Watch as Naruto grow into a powerful and experienced shinobi, protecting his precious people as well as the village as a whole. Naruto x Yuugao pairing.

**Chapter 3 ****– Scary times**

**Two years pass time skip**

It has been two years and Yuugao was finishing her breakfast at her home along with her parents. Now, Yuugao is already a genin, since she graduated the previous year and on her team was Yuhi Kurenai and Genma, a brunette guy with a bandana covering his head as well as a senbon between his teeth. Yuugao was one of the top genins of her graduation class and her team already performed close to 20 C ranked missions, a number not common in a year career. The team's sensei Aoba pretty much lets his students carry on the mission and only intervene when needed. Instead, he focus on making the genins practice very hard, making them one of the top teams in pretty much everything.

Yuugao is a close combat fighter, since learning her dad's kenjutsu style as well as learned only close to mid-range style jutsus. Genma is the strongest of the team in terms of ninjutsu, with the two element chakra (katon/raiton) he is the mid-range fighter of the team and backup for Yuugao since his taijutsu is average. And last but not least, Kurenai is the long-range fighter, using her genjutsu to assist the other two, rendering the enemy useless in battle. Yes, team 2 is one of Konoha's proudest teams and certainly will bright in the future.

Today, Team 2 would have a C ranked mission. Well, it would be a D ranked, but due to the importance to the one being protected. But, Yuugao still didn't know what would be the mission, since her sensei told them to arrive at the hokage tower for instructions and she was excited as hell, since she loved to test her skills against the enemies. After Yuugao left her house, she decided to sprint to the Hokage's tower by jumping through rooftops, until she arrived in front of the Hokage tower, only to find Kurenai already there, much to her dismay.

"Ohayo, Kurenai-chan, you're hear early, I thought I would be the first to arrive." – Said Yuugao.

"Ohayo, Yuugao-chan, since I live near here, I arrived early, so how are you?"

"Fine, so any guess about our mission? Do we have to take out some bandits, maybe some low-level chunnins that are harassing a village." – Said Yuugao, already picturing she slicing her sword on the enemy winning the battle.

"I hope not, I would rather a calm mission today, it seemed like every mission we were in, involved fights and stuff, I would be glad if this one would be a calm one."

"You're no fun, Kure-chan, oh well I guess we have to wait until Aoba-sensei and Genma-san to arrive won't we?" – Said Yuugao, sitting on a bench nearby.

After 10 minutes, the rest of team 2 arrived and they went up to the Hokage's office in order to receive their next mission.

* * *

**--Inside the Hokage's office--**

"Team 2 presenting for mission, Hokage-sama" – Saluted Aoba to Minato.

"Oh, hello there, how are you all guys doing?" – Said Minato proud of looking at one of the best genin teams in Konoha.

"Fine, sir, I understand Hokage-sama has a mission for Team 2?"

"Yes, it will be a C ranked mission. Normally would be a D ranked one, but due to the importance of this mission I'm trusting upon your team, Aoba-san, it will be a C." – Said Minato, while Yuugao was fuming inside, she thought that the D ranked ones would be over by now and be only C and low level B ones, but she thought better than to charge at her once crush of a man, for judging his judgement.

"Well, the mission will be to protect my son Namikase Naruto, during the duration of a trip me and my wife would be doing along with the hyuuga delegates to Kumo, in order to improve our diplomatic relations with them, as well as maybe celebrate a deal for commerce between the villages, so Team 2 will be with my son at least during one week, that the travel would entail." – Said Minato, already seeing the wide eyes of the genins, specially the purple genin with the katana, since she was with her jaws down to her chest in utter surprise.

"Ok, Hogake-sama, don't worry, your son will be safe from enemies. Team 2, we are to arrive at the Namikase compound in two hours, dismissed." – Said Aoba to his team.

"Hai, Aoba-sensei" – Said everyone of the team and then left the office.

"Aoba-san, I'm sure you understand the importance of this mission, don't you? I'm asking this because my son had already suffered his first kidnapping attempt two weeks ago." – Said Minato, much to Aoba's shock, since he didn't know that Naruto was kidnapped.

"Hokage-sama, if you don't mind, I wish to hear about what happened so that my team can be better prepared for what to come."

"Very well…"

**Flashback on**

The nightfall was already appearing and Minato was doing the last paperwork of the day, and went home. During the way back, Minato could sense three figures watching him close and stiffed. _Who would be stupid to try to kill a kage, unless they wanted to go to war. _Minato thought about it and decided to pay no mind as he was approaching the compound. Inside, the house was empty. Immediately, the Yondaime became the Yellow Flash and began to inspect the house for what could happen and his instincts were fuming like crazy. Upon approaching a couch, he saw that Kushina was on the ground, near a few glass pieces from a broken window that where the enemy broke in and attacked his wife.

Minato was passing through all the possibilities inside his mind as to what happened here, when the thought of Naruto being the enemy's objective practically punched him in the face for not realizing this. Suddenly, Minato called for his student and confident who happened to be inside the village doing some patrol around the streets via intercom.

"Sensei, what happened here?" – Said the Dog masked Anbu.

"Kakashi, my son was kidnapped, quickly summon Pakku and let's find him, we have to reach the enemies, hurry." – Said Minato, already panicking for his son's life.

"Right away, **Kuchiyose no Jutsu **(summoning jutsu)**" – **Said Kakashi, summoning a little puppy with a leaf headband.

"Kakashi, what do you want?"

"Pakku, Naruto-kun was kidnapped, we need to find the kidnappers, they must be close."

After some sniffing around, Pakku managed to get the scent from Naruto, since Minato gave Naruto's shirt for Pakku. Suddenly, two blurs went outside the compound and they started to jump around the trees, in the direction that Pakku was going. After travelling for 30 minutes, Kakashi and Minato managed to catch up with the intruders that were wearing Iwa headbands and a chunnin uniform. Seeing that the iwa ninjas couldn't escape, they tried to fight the two konoha ninjas, only after one second, did they realized their mistake, seeing that they would fight Konoha's Yellow Flash and Sharingan no Kakashi. With the use of the Hiraishin and a kunai, Minato disposed of the enemies and saved his son.

"Damn Iwa, how could they do this to my son?" – Said Minato, letting his emotions take over and send his characteristic killing intent that Kakashi thought his sensei would kill everyone in Iwa for trying to kidnap his son.

"Kakashi, I'm worried about my son's welfare now that Iwa knows about him, I know I promised Kushina to go slow with his training, but I'll have to train him harder so that he can at least protect himself the next time and be able to call for help. Also I'm going to give him one of my hiraishin kunais, so that he can call me when needed."

"Are you sure, sensei? Naruto is just six years old, he may call you to every little trouble he is, are you sure he's only calling you in dangerous situations?" – Asked Kakashi, knowing what a regular six-year old boy could do.

"My son knows better than that, Kakashi, besides he pretty much trains by himself with his books and stuff. I think I'll start teaching him D level jutsus, so that he can better protect himself."

"Let's head back, sensei, Kushina must be worried sick for Naruto." – Said Kakashi, awaking Minato from thinking about Naruto's new training.

"Let's go."

**Flashback off**

After Minato finished telling the story, Aoba sighed and concluded why the mission is a C ranked, if Iwa chunnin or higher came to try again, his team would be there protecting the little blond gaki. But Minato was also asking a favor to Aoba, in order to train his son while he was gone, having some spars with the genin teams and see where he stands on chakra control and jutsu. Needless to say Aoba agreed to it. He figured the mission would be plane boring in case Iwa didn't try anything, so he could take the time to train his team as well as see what Naruto could do.

"Don't worry, Hokage-sama, Team 2 will protect your son and we'll train him as well, don't you worry"

"I'm counting on your team, Aoba-san, thank you. Dismissed"

* * *

**--Inside the Namikaze Compound--**

Inside his house, Naruto was just reading a book on advanced chakra control. In fact, Naruto already had a little library inside his bedroom, he was lucky his parents bought him lots of books on shinobi and shinobi arts. He even bought one about Strategy and Tactics and he was fascinated with what the book said about the many strategic victories Konoha had won during the Two Great Shinobi Wars. As regarding to his training, his morning training was enhanced by his father. Now he had two wooden dummies and all the exercised doubled in length, as well as a gravity seal on him, courtesy of his father's knowledge of fuuinjutsu. He already learned the Henge no Jutsu and the Kawarimi no Jutsu and would be just a matter of time before he learned the Bunshin no Jutsu, because of his excess amount of chakra which was growing since his chakra coils were in expansion. For last, his chakra control increased as well. Because of his father saying that he needed to concentrate more on chakra control first, Naruto started doing the first chakra control exercises and he already was able to spin the leaf on his forehead.

Suddenly, he heard the door bell and stiffed a little bit, remembering that he was kidnapped once and he didn't want to just open the door to the enemy, seeing that would be very stupid thing to do. Upon arriving in front of the door, he asked who was it and was relieved when he heard the voice of a jounin that would be watching for him until his parents arrived from their trip to Kumo. Upon opening the door, he saw a man with sunglasses and a jounin vest as well as a girl with purple hair and a katana strapped on the back, a boy with a bandana covering his hair and a senbon in between his teeth and a red-eyed girl that he somehow remember already seeing her somewhere. But he was caught off his wonderings, when the jounin addressed to him.

"Hello Naruto-kun, my name is Aoba and I'm the sensei of Team 2 here. Here let me introduce you to the genins, Uzuki Yuugao, Genma and Yuhii Kurenai" – Said Aoba to the little boy, but Naruto remembered about the henge no jutsu and was a little worried about his enemies be disguised as Konoha shinobi.

"Uh, I'm sorry about not trusting you guys, but I can't help but think you could be Iwa shinobis henged into konoha shinobis, how can I be sure of that?" – Asked Naruto, earning the glares of surprise of Team 2.

Needless to say that everyone of Team 2 was looking at blonde with astonishment, since he was only six years old and already trying to see the underneath of the underneath, a lesson only taught at the age of 11, at the academy when the students would be close to graduate and become genins. Seeing that the boy actually needed reassurance, Kurenai spoke to him about the time they met at the library about two years ago and Naruto was relieved once again.

"Oh, yeah I knew I already saw you somewhere before, I'm sorry about the suspicion, is that because what happened to me and the book I was reading about tactics and strategy got me thinking about what may appear it's not what it is in the end, so I became a little suspicious, but please come in, I'll introduce everyone to the rooms and the house, so you can get comfortable and I can guarantee to all of you that I won't be bothering you guys, come in." – Said Naruto with a wide smile on his face and entering the house.

When they entered the house, Yuugao was caught talking to Kurenai, since she was somewhat interested in what the blonde could do. She was surprised that he was suspicious by only looking at her team, showing a shinobi ability that many chunnin still didn't have and she was impressed with him. Kurenai on the other side, was impressed as well, but with the book he said he was reading, she became interested about it on the spot and figured that he could have a lot of books for her to read throughout the week. But most of all, both of them was thinking about his age and the fact that he is growing faster than them combined.

Meanwhile, Genma was impressed with Naruto. Genma was smiling a lot, figuring that he would try to fight him in a fight to see if the rumors of him being able to break the wooden dummy at the age of four, was in fact true or not. When they got outside, Naruto showed his little training ground and team 2 was once again impressed to say the least. In the middle of the garden, there was two wooden dummies and they could see one with a hole between the chest area. Upon seeing further, they saw some leaves on the grass and asked Naruto why they were piled like that and Naruto said that he was doing multiple chakra control exercise by spinning more than one leaf at the same time, much to Aoba's surprise.

Needless to say team 2 was very lucky to get picked to this mission. Not only Naruto was a good host, but he wasn't a pain in the ass in comparison to the other times they had to babysit. On top of that, Naruto displayed a sense of humbleness, much to the surprise of the genins, who figured Naruto would be acting like…like the son of the Hokage bossing around and saying that they should do what he said. Quite on the contrary, seeing that the genin team would be training he humbly asked if he could watch them train as well as participate if possible. Aoba already said that he would be training him as well and Naruto was literally jumping with happiness, showing that he was eager to practice and train with team 2. To say all of them was surprised, it was an understatement, neither of them thought that this mission would be so cool, as well as the fact that they could train a lot.

After a little tour from Naruto, he told them to feel at home and that he would be reading one of his books for a while. Kurenai already seeing an opportunity to spend the week, asked if she could go with him to see his library and pick one to read, while Genma and Aoba would spar a little bit on the garden. Yuugao, for her instance, chose to practice some Kenjutsu Katas by herself for a little bit, since it was already getting dark, so they should all be inside the compound in case something happened.

Meanwhile, inside Naruto's room, he and Kurenai was looking at Naruto's library with big smiles. Then, Naruto picked one on chakra control, while Kurenai picked the one of strategy and tactics. She learned from Naruto that his parents bought him lots of books for him to learn and he was very thankful. Kurenai, for her instance, said Naruto was a very interested kid, seeing that his level of literature was very advanced for his age and she didn't think twice about say to him about it, resulting in a blushed Naruto and an amused Kurenai, thinking how cute the little blond was, when he was embarrassed like that.

A few hours later, everyone was having dinner together, eating what Naruto's mother left for them inside the freezer. They talked about all sorts of things. Well, actually Naruto was letting his curiosity all out and started asking about the many missions that team 2 accomplished together, as well as each of the team's abilities. Needless to say Naruto's eyes would wide every time Yuugao and Genma described their fights, while Kurenai was misleading the enemy. Naruto wasn't too happy to know about the first missions as genins called the 'infamous D' by the new appointed genins, seeing that they didn't involved any ninja skills or knowledge whatsoever. Seeing that the Team would show Naruto the wrong idea about the D ranked missions, Aoba decided to intervene, saying that these missions existed in order to improve team work among the genins and that Konoha was well known throughout the shinobi land, because of the three man cell like the Legendary Sannin and the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio. Later, everyone went to sleep and Aoba decided to take the room closer to Naruto's, since he would hear better and see if the enemy would try to appear.

On the next day, Naruto was the first to wake up and start doing his routine exercises. He learned from his father, the theory behind the gravity seal and now he knows that in order for the seal to activate, one have to channel chakra through it and the contrary for deactivating. Upon activated, Naruto felt his weight increase and felt his knees bend a little bit in order to get used to the extra weight. He only used it to train alone but when he was sparing with Neji, he needed all the strength and speed he could get, because the Hyuuga prodigy was always all out when they practiced. Once completed 30 laps around the compound with the seal on, he started practicing some advanced taijutsu moves on the dummy still with the gravity seal on. According to Naruto, this exercise was invigorating and even though at the end of the training, he was sweating like a pig, he felt like he had no care in the world, just exhaust himself to the fullest.

Upon entering the compound, so to have some breakfast, he saw that Aoba, Yuugao, Kurenai and Genma were getting up and all of them looked at the sweating blonde, wondering just how stamina this boy has. Out of them, Aoba was generally the first to wake up and all of them thought that their sensei didn't sleep at all, but seeing Naruto, team 2 believed that the boy was actually a 'stamina freak', just like his mother called Naruto once to Minato, upon seeing a four year old training himself to exhaustion and then continue after a 30 minute break. Now, another thing that only Kurenai and Yuugao saw was that Naruto was pretty buff for a six year old kid, they had to focus very hard in order to see a little baby fat around the kid's body.

"Oh man, that's good workout, I can tell you, it's invigorating." – Said Naruto, panting a little bit and showing a big smile letting them know that training to him is like playing with toys or doing stuff kids 'should' be doing at that age.

"Wow, Naruto, your father told me you worked pretty hard, but I never thought you would be this hard as to wear a gravity seal on you, while training. Tell me what do you do for as you say 'morning routine'?" – Asked Aoba, seeing the fiery spirit and determination on the Hokage's son.

"I start with 30 laps around the compound, following with 100 pushups, 100 situps, then 2 hours practicing taijutsu on the two training dummies as a way of fighting against two opponents, oh and all this with the gravity seal which by the way increase my body weight up to 20" – Explained Naruto, only beginning his day.

"After that, I take breakfast and I read a book on chakra control, introduction to jutsus and strategy and tactics. I also play shougi with my Kaa-san and I practice jutsu and chakra control all afternoon."

While Naruto was explaining his training, team 2's eyes were wide and their jaws were down to their chest. Needless to say they were impressed on the blonde's determination to be as strong as his father. Genma was more than eager to fight Naruto and see how well he fare in a fight, while Aoba was having daydreams of the perfect student in front of them. Kurenai decided to enhance her learning on genjutsus as well as creating new genjutsus that her creative mind was coming with, much to Naruto's joy. Naruto once thought about the concept of jutsus and was curious as to how they were created to begin with, so he wanted to be able to create jutsus, just like his father did with the rasengan and the hiraishin.

After Naruto's break, Aoba decided to train Genma, Yuugao and his new apprentice for the week, Naruto. But first, he needed to see what Naruto's level was, so he called Genma for a spar match to see their level in taijustu and in ninjutsu. To say that Naruto was happy it would be an understatement, he was smiling from ear to ear, from the thought of sparring against a genin.

First Genma thought he could go light with the blonde, seeing that he was eight years younger than him, so he wouldn't go all out on this fight. Little did he know that Naruto already turned the gravity seal off and his speed had doubled since the first time he activate the gravity seal. When Aoba showed the authorization to start the fight, Genma charged Naruto to test his defenses. Genma started with some mid-level punches straight to Naruto's areas that would affect the opponent the most like the spling, the lungs, the face and side stomach. Since Naruto could see the speed of the attacks, he managed to defend himself, while attacking as well with his knees and feet on Genma's stomach and side stomach. Meanwhile Yuugao and Aoba was seeing the spar with a smile, the boy had good moves and was faring well against Genma, even though he wasn't going all out.

But Naruto, somehow, was faster now than before the last time he thought Neji and he assumed that was because of the gravity seal, so he asked Genma to put up a notch a little bit, demonstrating guts towards a much older opponent. Hearing this, Genma decided to add ninjutsu to the fight, making some handseals and exhaling a fireball with less power so to scare the boy a little. Naruto, seeing this, did one of the only jutsus he knew, and exchanged himself with a log that was stationed near them, vanishing from sight. Genma saw the kawarimi and congratulated Naruto on the fast thinking.

"Okay, Naruto, that's enough, good job on the kawarimi. I can see that you're going to be a great shinobi once you grow up." – Said Aoba with pride, seeing the nod of Yuugao and Genma at the blonde.

"So, Naruto, we're going to train on your chakra control during this week as well as teach you some jutsus. Now I understand that you already mastered the Kawarimi no Jutsu, as well as the henge no jutsu, am I right?" – After a nod from Naruto, Aoba continued. "Okay, then, the bunshin no jutsu would be logical sequence, then I'm going to teach you a D ranked jutsu which is very common amongst jounin and Anbus, it's called **Shunshin no Jutsu**, with it you can instantly vanish from where you were and appear on a different place within seconds, the farther you go the more chakra you need to do it. But it will be a very handy technique in case it happens again, won't it?"

"Would I have enough skills for this jutsu? I mean from what I read, this jutsu is pretty hard to do." – Said Naruto, not having enough confidence in his abilities.

"The jutsu is easy to perform it's just that the jutsu demands more chakra, so normally genins and low level chunnins could not do it since it takes a good load of chakra. But since your chakra amount is very high, I believe you can do it without much effort on your body, but first, I'm going to teach you a very advanced chakra control exercise, now remember Naruto, I don't want you to complete this exercise during this week, okay, this exercise is very hard to learn and will increase your chakra control exponentially, it's called tree climbing."

"How is it that climbing trees would improve my chakra control?" – Said Naruto, remembering reading something about it on his book.

"By channeling chakra through your feet, you can stick your feet and just go up the tree, like you're just walking. Look I'll show you." – Said Aoba, as he was going up and down a tree nearby, while explaining how to channel the chakra properly.

"Man, that's so cool, ah, Aoba-sensei how long did Genma-san and Yuugao-san took to learn this exercise?" – Said Naruto pointing to the ones he mentioned that were having some light spar.

"Out of the three genins in Team 2, Kurenai was the first with the exercise, completing in two days, since her chakra control was better than the rest. Yuugao was second, finishing the exercise in three day and a half and Genma was last, finishing in four days, but not only they are eight years ahead of you but they are also genins and their chakra control is way better than you, even if yours is already amazing for a person your age. But then again I don't want you to complete this week, instead I'll give you a deadline of one month to learn. The reason for so long is for you to focus on the E ranked jutsus as well as the Shunshin, and another reason is for you to fully grasp the concept of a better chakra control, by constantly and steadily improving yourself and I assure you that by the end of the month, you will be able to finish without even thinking about it. Now let's see how you fair on your first try".

Upon hearing the authorization, Naruto tried focusing chakra on his feet and ran towards the tree, being able to stick to it and making two steps before he was blown off from high usage of chakra. When he looked at his sensei, Aoba was scratching his head asking for apologies, since he forgot to explain that if the ninja use too much chakra, well that happened and if it was too little chakra, his feet wouldn't stick, making him fall in the process. Needless to say Naruto was slightly annoyed about being blown up, because of his sensei's lack of information about the exercise.

"Man, that hurt. Oy Aoba-sensei a little more advice would be nice, over here? – Shouted Naruto at his teacher.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun. But even though you know how to do it, does not mean that you will stop falling on your butt like that, once you'll be able to stick your feet and go up a few times, then you'll stop falling like that. If you don't want to fall again like that, try training evasion techniques. When you feel that you are about to fall, just use the tree for impulse and balance to land on your feet". – Explained Aoba, earning a little grin from Naruto's face.

Well, at least Naruto was sure he could not fall on her butt anymore, since evasion techniques was very used as a defense from Naruto's taijutsu. The day went by and Naruto had only improved up to four steps before he had to do the evasion technique and landed tired from trying.

Aoba, upon seeing this, told Naruto to stop for the day and focus on mastering the **Bunshin no Jutsu**. Because of Naruto's abnormal chakra capacity and difficulty to use the little chakra needed for the jutsu. When he performed the jutsu, the clone appeared lying on the floor all dead and without consistency.

When Aoba asked him to do it again, the same result happened. Upon seeing this, Aoba sighed and crossed his head, he has never seen anything like this. He actually tried to think of something to help the young prodigy, but he couldn't think of anything. He was already admitting defeat and therefore saying that Naruto's chakra control need to improve first, when all of a sudden Yuugao decided to help.

"Aoba-sensei, what about the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **(shadow clone jutsu)" – Said Yuugao, smiling to the blond and seeing that Aoba was dumbfounded for the fact that one of his genins just mentioned a B-ranked kinjutsu that happened to be sealed inside the Forbidden scroll".

"Yuugao, how do you know the kage bunshin, it's supposed to be a forbidden technique?" – Turned Aoba, actually thinking about his genin's idea for Naruto.

"My dad mentioned once to me, but he said that it consumes lots of chakra, but Naruto-kun may be able to do it. And this technique was sealed inside the Forbidden scroll just because of the chakra consumption, not because it's dangerous". – Yuugao explained and smiled upon seeing the big smile and eagerness that Naruto was displaying once he heard it from the purple head genin.

"Wow, thank you Yuugao-san. Aoba-sensei, please let me try once, if it really consumes my chakra like you say it does, then I'll never do it again, until I complete the tree training exercise." – Negotiated Naruto.

"Huh…okay Naruto, I'll teach you but you'll have to focus on your chakra control even though you can make the kage bunshin, got it? Chakra control it's a good allied in battles, but it's also the worst enemy, if you don't learn how to control it and waste a lot of chakra in the process. Okay, now the Kage Bunshin is the same principle as the Bunshin, but there are two differences. First is that you have to use much more chakra and second is that you don't have to focus on an image of yourself, but rather focus on your entire body, since a kage bunshin has everything you has, from organs to chakra coils. The technique only needs this seal that I'm showing you with my hands. Now try it.

Naruto then focused the way he focused on the bunshin, but now without feeling the need to contain a little bit. He did the necessary seal and screamed **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (shadow clone jutsu). What appeared after the cloud of smoke, much to the utter surprised of everyone counting Aoba, Kurenai, Genma and Yuugao, four kage bunshins appeared and started a little chorus, singing "I did it" multiple times.

Not only Naruto managed a B-ranked jutsu, but he also was jumping in a crazy way, as if he still had tons of energy to stand, jump and do stuff. Needless to say that Naruto managed to do the technique, without suffering strain on his body. Aoba was the first one who managed to speak.

"Okay, Naruto, keep it down please, my ears are killing me. Now, since you managed to do this technique, you already have a clone technique at your arsenal, let's rest for today. Genma let's see first if you manage the **Katon Housenka no Jutsu (**Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu**) and the Katon Gouyakyuu no Jutsu (**Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu**).**

"Hai Aoba-sensei" – Screamed Genma as he was doing the hand seals needed for the goukakyuu no jutsu and spilled ahuge fireball of his mouth up to the air.

"Good job, now the next one." – Instructed Aoba.

"**Katon Housenka no Jutsu" – **Screamed Genma again, as he did the necessary hand seals, spilling fire small fireballs in different directions.

"Good work, Genma-san. Now let's head inside the compound for dinner.

Just as Aoba was about to touch the door, something was amiss. For instance, the door was in front of him, but his hands passed straight by, giving the impression of an illusion. Seeing that, Aoba remembered about the snicker member of his team who was falling in love with genjutsus.

"kai" – Said Aoba, dispelling the genjutsu Kurenai casted on the door, as well as looking at the face of the female illusionist in front of him, smirking as she mastered yet a new genjutsu technique.

"See, sensei, I mastered the **Kokohi no Jutsu (**Illusion Technique: False Surroundings**)**." – Said Kurenai, smiling like crazy.

"So, I saw. Good job, Kurenai. Now let's head inside, I guess everyone is hungry, especially Naruto." – Said Aoba, hearing Naruto's stomach manifesting and Naruto putting his hand behind his head in embarrassment, making Team 2 take a little rise out of the blonde.

"Hehehe. Sorry about that, I guess the kage bunshin just quadruplicated my hunger. Now, my mom will be worried. She usually sigh seeing what I eat by myself, imagine four times, I bet she would crumble to the floor." – Said Naruto scratching hid head.

"Hehehe, don't worry about that, Naruto-kun. I bet your Kaa-san would be worried at first, but seeing that you are the Yondaime's son and a stamina freak, she will just add two and two together." – Said Aoba, grinning a bit.

After some time, they all went to sleep. Two hours later, a blonde was seen on the compound's main living room, just staring outside at his preferred sight of his live. The full moon. No matter what trouble Naruto was in, the full moon always managed to calm him enough as to clear his mind off of things. Since the day of the kidnapping occurred until his dad came to the rescue along with his surrogate brother, Naruto was through a lot of thoughts.

'Why they wanted me? My father explained that because he was the key in Konoha's victory at the last Shinobi Great War against Iwa, but still why are they after me?' – All these thoughts were passing by Naruto every day.

The moon's light was so beautiful and he couldn't help but stare at it with wide eyes. Since the first time, he turned to watch it, he became hypnotized at the sight, it was spectacular. The light managed to bright a good portion of Konoha and bring peace as much as the sun did.

To Naruto this was a sight to be behold, actually everyday that the moon is like this, Naruto just couldn't sleep and get past such beautiful sight. He remembered his father comparing him to wolves, since like them Naruto became hypnotized by it.

Meanwhile, Yuugao was struggling on her bead. She just couldn't sleep at all. Seeing Naruto so advanced at such an early age, triggered a sense of competition with the boy. Funny, a 14 year old kunoichi competing with a six year old genin wannabe. But she did. It was the second day of the mission, slowly turning the third day and she could see Naruto managing a technique that she tried at first when her father taught her, only to fail miserably, because of the fact that her chakra reserve weren't as big as Naruto or any chuunin/jounin for that manner.

After some struggle, she sighed and went out of bed. As she put some clothes, she went downstairs to see if she could grab a glass of water or some milk to help her sleep. Upon reaching the kitchen, she noticed the moonlight bright the living room and was surprised to see her competition just staring at the full moon.

'Who the hell is this kid? Why can't he act like he supposed to act? Like a child? Play toys or something? He trains himself to exhaustion all the time, he looks at the full moon instead of sleeping. Who are you Namikaze Naruto?'

While she was caught in wonders, Naruto heart a noise coming from the kitchen and turned to see Yuugao looking at him lost in thoughts. Seeing this, he couldn't help but sigh remembering she had the same look as his mother had when she first saw him staring at it.

"You know Yuugao-san, you have the same look as my Kaa-san had when she first saw me staring at the full moon like I was doing before you came in." – Said Naruto as he watched Yuugao come back for her wonderings and he gave a genuine smile at her.

"Uh, sorry Naruto-kun, I was just caught in wonderings about something. Why aren't you sleeping? You'll need to restore your energy for tomorrow's training" – Asked Yuugao, right now looking at his eyes and once again flabbergasted.

His eyes were different than the one she was familiarized with. This set was different from the ones she saw on the Yondaime's eyes and Naruto's eyes before. This one were brighter than the old ones. It was even more beautiful than before. Brighter than ever.

"Sorry for waking you Yuugao-san, but every full moon I come here to watch it. It's the best sight ever and I can't stop looking at it. My father once compared me to wolves, since out of the animals, wolves are the ones who enjoy the full moon. Every time I look at it, I forget everything that's bad in my life and I can't help but feel secure when looking at it". – Said Naruto, not once taking his eyes off the full moon.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun, I was the one that couldn't sleep anyway. Naruto-kun, I can't help but feel threatened about you." – Said Yuugao, thinking of the right words to describe the reason of her being out of bed.

"Threatened, Did I do something to you, Yuugao-san? I don't recall hurting you, and if I somehow did, I'm very sorry about it." – Said Naruto now worried, taking his eyes off the moon and looking at the purple haired genin with worry.

"What!? No, it's not that Naruto-kun, it's just that you're just six years old and you're so much ahead for your age, that I couldn't help but want to compete with you." – 'Idiot' 'Stupid' – Yuugao was hitting her head inside, she didn't want to put it this way to a six year old infant, she didn't want it for him to think she was insane.

"A rivalry with me Yuugao-san? But you're much stronger than I am, I watched your kenjutsu and believe me I don't want to get hit by such strikes". – Said Naruto.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, but if you with six year old, were able to do a technique that I couldn't do with fourteen, that means you are pretty strong yourself. I'm sorry but I can't help but want to compete with you. You're the first one that I thought about measuring my ninja abilities with"

"Rivalry is very good for ninjas to grow stronger and better, Yuugao-san, but what about Genma-san, he is pretty capable." – Said Naruto trying to calm Yuugao, but to no avail, since he saw her nod her head in a negative manner.

"Genma is very strong and a capable ninja as well, but he is my age. The katon jutsus that you saw him doing, was his first high level ninjutsus. You managed a B-ranked ninjutsu with just six years old. Please don't take me the wrong way, Naruto-kun, but I want to be considered your rival, if it's okay with you?" – Said Yuugao.

"Do you really want this, Yuugao-san? I mean I would be glad to be your rival, but are you really sure you want to?" – Asked Naruto.

"Yes, I do. In fact, we can train together, why do you say, Naruto-kun, with my kenjutsu/ninjutsu against your taijutsu/ninutsu, it would be beneficial for both of us. I would get stronger and you would get faster. Let's try at least for this week, why do you say?" – Yuugao said almost sounding like begging for training from a six year old boy.

"Okay, Yuugao-san." – Said Naruto giving up trying to understand why the hell does she want to train with a six year old boy.

On the third day, Naruto went out of bed and dressed up his training gear, he thought about Yuugao's moves and he was dead frightened. But on the other side, he was eager to start, the only rival he had was Neji and even though Neji is very strong, Naruto didn't want to be proficient against the Byakugan.

So, he increased his routine as well as pumped a little more chakra through the gravity seal, increasing his body weight as well. After some running around and some exercises, Naruto was more tired than before. When he started his taijutsu exercises, he felt the weight get in the way a little bit, but because of Yuugao's challenge, he began hurting the wooden dolls like never before for a good 30 minutes, until it was time for breakfast.

Upon arrival, surprisingly, a purple haired genin was the first one to wake up, well second since Naruto was the first. When the rival saw each other, a little spark could be felt in the air, showing that their little spar would be happening soon.

After a quick breakfast from Naruto and Yuugao, they went to the training area and got into their respective fight positions. Instantly, Naruto make three Kage Bunshins and started attacking Yuugao who took off her katana and managed to dodge the joint attack of one of the clones and strike the second one, taking him out and vanish in a puff of smoke. Seeing Yuugao's speed, Naruto had to took his weights off. Doing that, he started feeling weird, he was lighter than ever and he could very well see her movements as she was taking care of the last clone.

But what happened next, pretty much scared him the most. Right after the clone vanished, images of Yuugao and clone's fight appeared in his mind like he was fighting Yuugao.

Naruto never was able to wonder about what happened, as he saw his opponent closing on him, placing her sword in a way as to slash through him with a diagonal movement. He was caught off his thoughts and got out of the way of the slash just as it was coming, surprising Yuugao. Since they were close, Naruto started attacking Yuugao with the same mercy as he had with the wooden dolls. Yuugao, as she was trying to block Naruto's punches with the sword's holder, was excited as hell. Naruto was fighting well against her.

'Yes, I knew he would be strong, I knew it, Come on Naruto-kun, let's continue this fight.'

Aoba was the first to arrive to the scene and was surprised to see Naruto and Yuugao equally trading blows. Naruto was punching hard and Yuugao defended with her holster. Yuugao was slicing her sword and Naruto was dodging and evading. It was beautiful to watch those two. Then he was able to see Naruto doing seals faster than before, just as Yuugao was about to hurt him, cutting a log instead.

Yuugao saw the log cut in half and smiled frantically. Naruto was the first fight she ever had and he would be even better with time, as will she. When she turned to see Naruto a few meters behind, she grinned and bowed to him.

"I was right about you Naruto-kun, you are strong, better than I took you to be. We have to do this again, I was able to train close range kenjutsu with you and your speed increased as well. Just like I told you." – Yuugao said, feeling better about herself by the minute.

"You're right, Yuugao-san, this was much fun, I really enjoyed it. This fight showed me just how much I need to train harder. Even though something tells me you're much stronger than that." – Said Naruto.

"Just a little bit more, actually. But with the pace that you are growing, you'll surpass me in no time, my rival". – Said Yuugao, feeling proud of herself, since she discovered what her dad said to her a while ago.

**Flashback on**

Yuugao and her father were training in kenjutsu and evasion techniques, well more like Mamoto was beating the shit out of Yuugao, but it was with a wooden sword, still hurt as hell.

"Shit, why can't I hit you Tou-san? You're too fast."

"Yuugao-chan, don't be silly, I have ten times more experience than you, plus I know all there is to know about our style, while you only learned a few katas. Trust your father on this Yuugao-chan, it'll be a while before you can hit me. But I don't expect you to beat your old man, at least not right now." – Said Mamoto with a smile.

"I know that, Tou-san, but you're the only one I can test my abilities with. The academy didn't bring me a challenge and the fellow genins do not have the skills necessary. I have only you to measure my level." – Said Yuugao looking down in shame.

"Yuugao-chan, if you really want to test your skills, you have to find someone who can measure up to your abilities. You find yourself a rival." – Said Mamoto, remembering of a certain Anbu captain.

"_In fact, Yuugao-chan, you don't have to be the same age. Let me tell you a story of a child prodigy that I had the privilege to know back in Anbu duty. His name is Hatake Kakashi, a genius. He was your age when he became a jounin and a year after that, he joined Anbu. Back then, I was best fighter in Anbu and I was just as you are now, in search of someone to whom I could test my skills with. Since Kakashi's record was practically common knowledge, everyone was talking about him, so I challenged him to a spar. I tell you Yuugao-chan, that spar entered in the Anbu Headquarters history as one of the most beautiful fights they've ever witnessed. But something happened since that day with me and Kakashi, we didn't stop growing as ninjas, both of us got stronger, both of us became faster. But since I was older than him, the time was the winning factor and I just didn't have the__ strength to continue with the rivalry. Three years after I retired from ninja duty, Kakashi was released and become a full time jounin, since today, doing missions for the village. Do you know Yuugao-chan, that the Yondaime was Kakashi's jounin sensei. Yes he was. So, all you need to do in order to grow stronger is to find yourself a rival" – Finished Mamoto._

"I will try Tou-san and then when I'm strong enough, I'll challenge you again".

**Flashback off**

'Tou-san, I did it. I found my rival just like you found Kakashi-san' – Thought Yuugao, looking at the sky.

Suddenly, Aoba arrived clapping his hands at the magnificent display of ninja skills between Yuugao and Naruto.

"Congratulations, you two. Naruto, how did you get so fast all of a sudden?

"Well, since Yuugao defeated my clones with much ease, I had to take the gravity seal off, so I could fight her with all my speed and agility." – Said Naruto, pointing to the seal place at his chest.

"Oh, I see. So, Yuugao, tell me what about Naruto's skills and did I heard correctly? Did you consider Naruto to be your rival?" – Said Aoba, flabbergasted that out of all strong genins that graduated, Naruto, a six year old boy, could be Yuugao's only rival.

"As to your first question, Aoba-sensei, Naruto's skills with Taijutsu and Agility was very good for his age, as is his ninjutsu skills. Now as to the rival thing, you heard right, Aoba-sensei, Naruto was the first one that I was able to test my abilities with. And I'm really looking forward to having another fight with you again Naruto-kun someday. So you better train harder, because I'll be training harder as well." – Said Yuugao.

"Next time, I'll win, Yuugao-san." – Challenged Naruto with a wide grin pointing his fist with all might to the purple haired rival.

"We'll see about that, Naruto-kun." – Smiled Yuugao.

After Yuugao settled for another position to update her training program, she reached two scrolls one from her father and the other from Aoba. The one from her father included some Kenjutsu katas, of course. But the one from Aoba included ninjutsus. So far, Yuugao's elemental ninjutsu is none, so Aoba made a scroll of C ranked non elemental jutsu, such as the **Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (**shadow shuriken jutsu**) **and the **Kunai Shuriken no Jutsu (**shadow kunai jutsu**).**

Meanwhile, Naruto was trying the tree walking exercise but with the gravity seal back on, this time, he managed up to ten feet and like Aoba said, Naruto was improving in a steady manner, fully grasping the concept of the exercise.

"Naruto, come here, it's time for you to learn the shunshin no jutsu. Actually, the concept is pretty easy, but the real key to this exercise is chakra amount. In other to do this technique, the ninja must focus on a specific place to be, for instance, if you are to go to your room, you'll have to imagine yourself inside that room. Once that's done, focus a considerable amount of chakra and…Voilá." – Said Aoba, vanishing in a swirl of leaves and appearing behind Naruto in less than a second.

"Wow, it's very cool."

"Yes it is, now you try. For the first time, try imagining yourself in front of the same tree you practice tree walking, imagine yourself staring at it. For the jutsu to work, all of the place's surroundings and your sight position must be put into consideration. For instance, if you want to go in front of the tree, you have to imagine yourself looking at the tree as well, now try." – Explained Aoba.

In order to do the technique, Naruto closed his eyes so he can imagine what it would be like standing in front of the tree, as his sensei told. At first, it was difficult since he never thought of looking at the tree before, so he would play a creative game and just figure that out. Once done, he started to focus almost the same amount of chakra needed for four shadow clones and suddenly a swirl of leaves appeared below him and he vanished, only to appear with his face smashed through the tree with great intensity, almost breaking his nose because of the impact.

"Uh…Very good, Naruto, but tell me you didn't imagine yourself smashing your face at the tree, now did you?" – Said Aoba, trying his best not to laugh at the picture.

"What!? Do you think I take pleasure in hurting myself? Have you gone mental?" – Exploded Naruto.

"Sorry, hehehe. Now try to stare at the tree from a certain distance, then try it again, you almost nailed it, if it wasn't for the fact that you almost broke your nose." – Laughed Aoba.

'I'll show him what to laugh about, just you wait, Aoba-sensei' – Mumbled Naruto, before staring the tree and trying again.

On the second try, Naruto appeared only centimeters from the tree, almost hitting his nose again, but he already showed improvement, nonetheless. At his fifth try, he managed to do the technique and appear a good distance from the tree, staring at her, just like he pictured in his head.

"Good work, Naruto-kun. Now, from today until the last day of this week, we'll be practicing the shunshin no jutsu until you master it. You'll be appearing in almost every place of the house. Now, apart from that, we are focusing on increasing your stamina and your chakra control. Now I know your stamina is very high for a person your age, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't train stamina.

"But Aoba-sensei, what about my morning routine? Don't they count as stamina training?"

"Yes they do. But we'll practice other exercises that can improve that area as well. Like, for example, expand your chakra amount by the constant usage of it and when you restore it the other day, your chakra level would increase." – Explained Aoba.

"Now, let's do the shunshin again."

With that, Naruto practiced the shunshin until the end of the third day, until Naruto had to be carried to his room by Genma because of a little chakra exhaustion and a little dizziness from doing the shunshin some many times. So, team 2 was alone for the first time and they had dinner without Naruto this time.

"Aoba-sensei, aren't you pushing Naruto too hard? He is just 6 and he had his first chakra exhaustion too early in his life" – Asked Kurenai, a little worried about the little boy.

"I know I am, Kurenai-san. But I am under orders from the Yondaime to better prepare him so he can take care of himself when another kidnapping attempt is to be made. I sometimes wonder if Naruto ever intended to have a normal life. All I see of him is either studying or training. Of course is good to do all that, it's more important for a boy to be just a boy. But I'm not his father." – Sighed Aoba since he didn't want to see a six year old training to death, even before the academy.

"No, Aoba-sensei, he likes to play too. When I go to his room and pick a book to read, sometimes I see him playing with his toys. Now I wonder is Naruto doing this for him or to live up to his father's expectations". – Asked Kurenai, while Genma nodded, wanting to ask the same question.

"From what the Yondaime told me, Naruto does all that for him. Naruto said to him that training to be a ninja is one of the most enjoyable things he does. His father only taught him how to use chakra and the rest he learned from books and all." – Explained Aoba.

Yuugao who was eating quietly, since she didn't have questions about that anymore. Naruto was like her. They wanted to be strong, they wanted to be good as shinobi, the only problem Yuugao had was that Naruto had an early start and was advancing far greater than she imagined. While listening to the other, talking about Naruto's apparent loss of childhood, she was trying to come up with a new training, perhaps even start on elemental training.

Meanwhile, all the other three was staring at Yuugao since they wanted to know her perspective, but they found her lost in wonderings, probably about what they said about Naruto.

"Ah Yuugao-chan, how about you? What do you think about Naruto?" – Asked Kurenai to her friend, waking her up from her trance.

"Oh, you said something, Kurenai-chan?"

"I asked what do you think about Naruto's death training at an early age?" – Asked Kurenai again, a little enraged.

"Oh, well, I wouldn't worry about it so much Kurenai-chan. The boy likes to train, big deal. There are lots of shinobi that started their careers sooner. Hatake Kakashi, a friend of my father became genin when he was Naruto's age. Itachi Uchiha as well." – Said Yuugao, getting back to her dinner.

The conversation went on and ended with Yuugao showing her defeat and going to her bedroom so everybody followed suit and went to their rooms.

On the next day, Naruto woke up and looked at the clock a little surprised. It was already 12 pm. He remembered Aoba-sensei saying to him about chakra exhaustion and how the person had o rest to reinstate his chakra level, but Naruto never sensed that before.

After he did the last out of ten shunshins, he literally collapsed on the ground, not even remembering how he ended up sleeping on his bed. When he looked outside, he saw team 2 already training so he activated the gravity seal, grabbed his training clothes and went down stairs.

Upon reaching the garden, he was greeted by team 2 who were training. Genma and Yuugao were sparing while Aoba and Kurenai were as well. As Naruto turned his eyes on his rival's fight, he noticed that she was somehow holding back more than with him and so he knew why she thought of him as her rival instead of Genma.

As he was running to meet his sensei, Aoba ended the fight and asked Naruto to relax today, in order to completely restore the chakra capacity up to the standard level. With that, Naruto's chakra and stamina would grow as his body was healing from all the training he made so far. But Naruto wasn't entirely happy about that, well actually, he wasn't happy at all. He wanted to train, but then he remembered not ever having a day off from his training and relaxed a little bit.

"Ok, then, Aoba-sensei, it has been some time since I stopped to meditate some time, by doing this, I rest while I practice a little bit of chakra control, if you need me, I'll be near that tree." – Said Naruto, pointing to a tall tree on the other side of the training ground.

"Okay, Naruto." – Said Aoba.

With that, Naruto reached the designated tree and just seated in meditative position as well as closing his eyes, so as to clear his mind first. Meanwhile, Yuugao and Genma was taking a break and catching their breath. But Yuugao was watching Naruto close his eyes in that weird position and became confused beyond level.

'Now that's a first. A person like Naruto meditating. I wonder how can he possess such stamina and just sit there doing nothing at all. I would be with cramps by just sitting there for 10 minutes and he was already going up to 30 minutes. As usual, full of surprises.' – Thought Yuugao, while grinning towards her rival.

Aoba, even while sparing with Kurenai, managed to see that Yuugao was looking at Naruto with a confused look on her face and he laughed a bit. Motioning for Kurenai to stop the attack for a while, turned to Yuugao.

"What's the matter, Yuugao? Wonder what Naruto is doing?"

"Actually, yes. I was wondering how the hell a stamina freak such as Naruto could stand being on that weird position for such a time." – Said Yuugao, never taking her eyes off Naruto.

"You see, Yuugao, the Yondaime told me that Naruto, at the beginning of his training exercise, did meditation a lot. Actually, he quite like it. By doing that, Naruto manage to focus chakra through any part of his body. But according for what I was told, Naruto for the most part, focus chakra through his ears."

"Why the ears, Aoba-sensei?" – Asked Kurenai, demonstrating quite interest on Naruto's meditation exercise.

Suddenly when Aoba was about to answer Kurenai's question, Naruto beat him to it, screaming the answer, because even though he was far from team 2, with this exercise, he could actually hear a needle fall.

"The reason why I focus the chakra through my ear is to train my hearing senses as well as listen to little noises that nature make that normally no one would identify." – Said Naruto, still with his eyes closed, smirking since he heard the entire conversation.

"Huh, that's one good way to make excuses for eavesdrop, Naruto-kun." – Laughed Yuugao.

"Heehehe, sorry about that Yuugao-san. I can assure you that hearing your conversation about me wasn't my intention, but since you're talking about me, I guess that wouldn't be a problem, now wouldn't it?" – Asked Naruto mischievously, much to Yuugao's contempt, knowing a new feature from her rival, he was a smart ass.

"Okay, Naruto-kun, let's head inside. But first, I want to talk to you about something. It's regarding your future as a ninja." – Said Aoba, earning everyone's attention including Naruto since he was in fact with his enhanced hearing.

"My future as a ninja? What does that mean, Aoba-sensei?" – Asked Naruto, now lifting from his sitting position and started walking towards the sun glassed jounin.

"I figured it was nice to share with you some of the experience you'll be acquiring as your life progresses. So let's head inside for lunch and all of us can have a little insight conversation.

"Okay, oh that reminded me Kurenai-san, I was thinking about buying a new book for my collection. The ones I have, I already read, well at least the ones I'm able to learn, anyway. Maybe after lunch, we can go to a library that opened near here." – Asked Naruto with a goofy smile, showing just how much his father rubbed on him.

Now this caught everyone's attention. _Did Naruto ask me on a date? (Kurenai) / Naruto, you dog you (Genma) /Now, that I didn't see it coming, Naruto-kun, you never cease to amaze me (Yuugao) / Quite direct, don't you think, Naruto-kun (Aoba)._

Now, after noticing everybody staring at him with questioning looks, Naruto pounded his head, thinking he said something really stupid, but then he thought against it, remembering his words and wondering why the hell they were staring at him for.

"Uh, is there something on my face, for you all to look at me like that?" – Naruto asked, blushing a little bit because of the attention.

"Oh, it's nothing, Naruto-kun, but tell me why you invited me in the first place?" – Asked Kurenai, still not believing that a little kid just sort of asked her out.

"Well, since you seem to like reading so much, I figured that if I asked Yuugao-san, she wouldn't like to go and Genma wouldn't either." – Said Naruto in defense.

"Oh, and wouldn't I enjoy it, Naruto-kun?" – Said Yuugao trying to tease Naruto a little bit, since she wanted to see him blush again.

"Oh i..it's nothing, Yuugao-san, I just figured that since you didn't bother to take a look at any of the books, I figured that you were more for practical stuff instead of theoretical stuff, I…" – Said Naruto, blushing again, much to Yuugao's amusement, finding a new hobby for her, making Naruto blush.

"That's enough, Yuugao. Stop teasing Naruto. Kurenai if you don't want to go with Naruto, I'll go with him, while you guys can rest a little bit." – Said Aoba, in defense of Naruto.

'Spoilsport' – Mumbled Yuugao, much to Kurenai's amusement. She never said that she wouldn't go, is was just that the invitation was a bit sudden and completed unexpected.

"It's okay, Aoba-sense. I'll go with him. Don't worry, I may find some new books on genjutsu as well. Ok, Naruto-kun, I'll go.

After a nod with a smile from Naruto, they started lunch as well as Aoba's little conversation idea. Well, more like a monologue of his experience as a ninja. Aoba was telling them that since he was raised a little before the last war ended, so the circumstances were different from today, but he told them anyway. He started telling about his genin days, than the chunnin exams when his first kill occurred and the Yondaime gave him a couple of days off in order to be able to cope with the idea of continue on being a shinobi. Aoba was focusing more on this part, since being a ninja for a village meant doing missions for the village and certain missions involved killing certain individuals that normally you didn't have to. Then, he told them about his once dream to become a part of Anbu, but he discharged the idea when one of his closest friends was killed on his first mission as Anbu. Aoba told them that he was instated as a jounin soon after and then was assigned to teach team 2.

"Wow, Aoba-sensei, how did you cope with your first kill?" – Asked Naruto, clearly being the most interested of the audience that was listening to Aoba's little biography as a ninja.

"It was my sensei at the time. His name is Hyuuga Hizachi. He was the one that told me that killing the first time was hard and that the second one was obviously the hardest." – Said Aoba, getting a nod from all present. Naruto, even though was only six year old, and normally wouldn't be able to grasp the reason why the second kill was any different than the first one. But the fact is that some of Naruto's books were written by retired shinobi, who described their life as well.

"Anyway, Hizachi-sensei made me realize that I only killed, because the enemy attacked me. You see, back then, I thought I was a killer, a murderer. But sensei literally slapped me with the jyuuken, so to beat some sense into me and tell me that if that was true than every ninja in this village would be a homicidal maniac." – Said Aoba, laughing, since he remembered how his face was hurting because of the jyuuken hit that time.

"Hizashi-sama slapped you with the jyuuken, why?" – Asked Naruto, mentally imagining the scene.

"It was his way to beat some sense into people, I guess. But that hurt a lot. Well, that was my story. The reason why I talked about it, it's because children usually dream of the chance of being ninjas and perform what they would say 'kick ass' missions. But being a ninja is no game, Naruto-kun. I've seen many young genins losing their lives, thinking they were the strongest man alive and now they're dead because they underestimated just what it means to be a ninja. Now I'm not telling you that a ninja has to be emotionless in battle. It's actually one of the shinobi rules. Always control your emotions when in a mission. I just wanted to let you know this before going through with it."

"Aoba-sensei, I know about all of this, well I don't know actually. But some of the books I read were histories from retired shinobis and their lives as ninjas. The one I enjoyed the most was from a man named Jiraya. Yeah, according to the book, he was the dead-last of his genin class and ended up being on the legendary sannin along with a woman named Tsunade and a snake-like man named Orochimaru." – Said Naruto, much to Aoba's smirk, learning that Naruto was telling about his father's sensei.

"Is this the same Jiraya that wrote those orange books that've been circulating around practically all men around Konoha, Aoba-sensei?" – Asked Kurenai, already fuming at the mention of the perverted writer, who poisoned the mind of practically every male individual in Konoha.

"Unfortunately, yes Kurenai-san, he is." – Sighed Aoba, remembering one of his friends Raidon that was pretty much blabbering about scenes of the book named Icha Icha.

"Well, Naruto-kun, shall we go to the library? I want to see if a new book on genjutsus arrived." – Asked Kurenai eager to go to the library.

"Do you think that they have books on kenjutsu, Naruto-kun? I was thinking on developing my own style" – Said Yuugao, earning some wide eyes from Kurenai.

"I think they have. Do you want to come as well, Yuugao-san?"

"How about I race you there? Oh and no shunshin allowed." – Challenged Yuugao, smiling from seeing Naruto smiling and then mumbling soon after.

"Ok, then, the library is a few blocks to the right. Kurenai-san, want to race too, it will be fun." – Said Naruto smiling.

After receiving a nod, Naruto released his gravity seal and the three of them rushed out of the house and jumped to the first rooftop available. Since Yuugao and Kurenai had more experience jumping from rooftops, Naruto at first was getting behind. Seeing that he was losing the race, since the library was coming into view faster, he channeled the most chakra he could at the moment through his feet and got a big impulse, getting only inches distant from the two girls, who smiled upon seeing him landing one second later than them in front of the academy. Inside, Naruto was mumbling a little bit, after losing the race, but the sight before him managed to put a smile on Naruto. He was in front of the biggest ninjutsu scrolls section of his life and he was drooling. Naruto once remembered his father telling him not to buy srong jutsu scrolls since he was very young and inexperienced with such a thing. But he chose to defy his father, taking a book that was saying 'kaze elemental ninjutsu'. Upon grabbing the book, something strange happened and a little gust of wind flew to Naruto's face. Upon asking the vendor, the man said that the author put a little seal on the cover to identify people that had wind affinity. At first, Naruto didn't understand, but bought the book, excited about having a wind affinity, whatever that meant.

Kurenai couldn't find her book but Yuugao bought two books written by a Konoha's kenjutsu master back at the time of the Shodaime and the Nidaime's era. For someone who didn't like to read books, she was giggling like a little school girl, running though all the possibilities of her creating a new kenjutsu style, that was based on her father's kenjutsu. Even though she had to learn all her dad's katas, she was sure that she wanted to create her own, just like her dad did with his.

As soon as they arrived the compound, Naruto rushed to his room to some quiet reading as well as satisfy his never ending curiosity to grasp the entire book, but since his father warned him about ninjutsu at such an early age, he considered taking it slow, just like the tree walking exercise. The book gave a little introduction on the author as well as some knowledge about kaze ninjutsu.

Meanwhile, Yuugao was beginning to grasp the reason why Naruto and Kurenai were so eager to read new books. This one had some images of well-known kenjutsu styles as well as a wide description of the moves and katas. Kurenai, on the other hand, was fuming in anger. She didn't find any books she liked and she didn't have what to do, so she went up to Naruto's room to see if he had a book she could read that didn't involve things she already mastered.

"Excuse me Naruto-kun, may I come in?" – Asked Kurenai, after knocking on the door to let Naruto know she was there.

"Of course, Kurenai-san, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could borrow a book for me to read, I really need something to keep my mind on and mine I already finished." – Said Kurenai, with a bit of sadness running through her voice as well as her face.

"Well, what I have you pretty much already nailed at the academy. But since I will be so caught up with the book I bought today, you can read the one I was reading about tactics and strategy. Here take it. It's a very good book. He traps you and once you begin to read it, you will be eager to read more, the stories are written so to catch the reader's interest from the beginning." – Said Naruto smiling a bit from his own memories, never letting go of such book for a while.

"Gee, thanks. I'll read right away". – Said Kurenai, sitting close to a table inside Naruto's bedroom, much to Naruto's surprise, since she was setting in his room to read the book instead of going to the living room like other times.

The fourth day went by pretty quick and everyone went to sleep. On the next day, since Naruto was with his chakra and energy restored, he woke up early and proceeded to his exercises on the training ground. After that, he started his new taijutsu training. This time, Naruto summoned two shadow clones to work as sparing partners, instead of relying on the wooden dummies. Upon asking from the two to fight him, each of them went to identical stances, since they were all the same person and the two clones went to attack Naruto at the same time. Seeing this, Naruto shunshined out of the way and appeared on the clone's back to strike forward with a swift kick but was blocked by the first clone when the second clone came charging Naruto, aiming a punch at his face, only for Naruto to perform a kawarimi and appear a log instead. On this time, Naruto with a roundhouse kick managed to hit the first clone, making him vanish in a puff of smoke, leaving only one clone to handle. Suddenly, the clone channeled chakra through his feet and appeared in front of Naruto really fast, shortening Naruto's time of response by quickly blocking his face from a very strong punch that would seriously hurt him. After some blows exchanged between the Narutos, the real one was able to feel the adrenaline inside his body and he was feeling better than before. When the clone tried to kick the real one, Naruto ducked and did a low lick hitting the clone's legs, winning the battle. _Wow, that was awesome, but maybe tomorrow I could try to take on three clones._

Meanwhile, Aoba was seeing the whole thing proudly of little gaki's progress. As he was lost in wonderings, he never saw Naruto managing to go up to half the tree before having to evade and land on his feet in safety. Being on time with his routine, Naruto shunshined inside the living room and appeared inside out of the blue, scaring Kurenai, who was holding a side dish.

"Naruto-kun, don't do that, you almost gave me a heart attack." – Said Kurenai, catching her breath a little bit.

"Sorry there Kurenai-san, I was just practicing the shunshin." – Said Naruto scratching his hair grinning a little bit.

"Oh I see you're almost mastering the shunshin Naruto, good for you. That training of yours with the kage bunshin was a very good idea. With that, you can see your movements being performed in front of you and learn how to counterattack your own style, very ingenious" – Said Aoba, overestimating Naruto, since the little blonde didn't think about that at all.

"Well, actually, Aoba-sensei I never thought it like that. The reason why I did was to put some movements on my taijutsu partner, because the training dummies just don't do it for me anymore. But I'll think about what you said, Aoba-sensei." – Said Naruto, earning laugh from the other genins and a apologetic look by Aoba.

Their afternoon went on with Yuugao and Genma sparing against Aoba and Kurenai in order for them to improve team work and learn how to work effectively with the partner. Meanwhile, Naruto was training in speed, by focusing chakra through his feet, he was running laps around the compound a couple of times, as well as doing a couple of dashes to left and to the right. After 20 laps, he was getting tired and a little dizzy, so he stopped to meditate some time.

At night, Naruto started to read his book on kaze (wind) ninjutsu. While going through the pages, he was literally imagining the words that he was reading in his mind and imagining him performing such techniques. He mumbled something about having to grasp at least water walking level chakra control in order to start doing chakra elemental manipulation, but he could learn what to do in theory so he only had to practice what he learned when his control was to be good enough. Since Naruto discovered about his natural wind affinity, he decided that when he finished the tree walking exercise, he would jump right on the water walking exercise. Upon looking at the clock, he realized it was getting late, so he went to bed, not knowing that his worst fears would come barging on his door one more time.

* * *

**--Close to Konoha's border--**

Close to one of Konoha's border, four iwa chunnins and a iwa jounin were setting up camp. They were on a mission. The mission was to kidnap the Yellow Flash al all costs. Since the first mission went in disaster and the Hokage didn't want to start another war because of this, Iwa were putting all their efforts into this mission. They couldn't afford to go to another war against Konoha's yellow flash, since nowadays Konoha got themselves new legends like Sharingan no Kakashi as well as an Anbu captain by the name of Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi, even though supposed to be an Anbu, his name spread wide across the ninja nations and got himself a considerable reputation. His team is famous since they were successful in every mission they encountered so far. Back with the Iwa team, each of them were resting, pretty confident that Konoha wouldn't suspect of their mission to kidnap the Hokage's son. Little did they know that not only Team 2 were protecting Naruto but also a seal that was secretly placed inside the compound that would alert an Anbu team that was taking place near the house.

* * *

**--Near the Namikase Compound--**

A couple miles away from the Namikase compound, a team of Anbu officials were guiding the house. Their captain, no other than Uchiha Itachi was chosen by the Hokage himself in order to assist Team 2 in case the enemy would be too strong for them to take. Itachi, on his part, ordered his team to be close and that he would scout the compound to see if everything was in order. From time to time, he did just that and now he landed near a tree and surpassed his presence in a way that not even Aoba could detect. Right now, Itachi was observing a little blond running around the compound, as well as training his agility. From some time, Itachi was taking a big interest in Naruto. He is proud member of one of the first clans in Konoha, the Uchiha clan. But for some time, the Uchiha clan began too proud of their bloodline, the sharingan, and they were beginning to become sloppy. Once they developed the sharingan, all they did was copy other's abilities and get stronger by doing just that. This fact enraged Itachi to no end, he was perhaps the only one who got stronger by not relying on his doujutsu and actually train his body like no other did before. And Naruto he could choose to use his father's name and become just like those lazy bastards on the Uchiha clan, but he choose to train in order to get stronger. That why Itachi got interest in Naruto and he would wait to fight him in a battle to see who is the strongest.

* * *

**--Inside the compound--**

Team 2 had already wake up and saw Naruto just finishing his tree walking exercise. This time, Naruto managed up to ¾ of tree and he was damn proud of his accomplishment. He vowed to quick the steps a little bit and surpassed his sensei's advice on the exercise, but the real motive of grasping the exercise step by step was to feel the chakra on each step on the tree and Naruto was doing just that. Right now, Naruto summoned three kage bunshins and started a taijutsu match with them. This time, Naruto got bruised considerably so Kurenai did a little curative on him.

"Slow down Naruto. This way, you may get hurt." – Said Kurenai, worrying about the little blond

"I'm sorry Kurenai-san, I didn't see the last one behind me. Fight three at the same time, it's sure heavy stuff, but I almost got it. Next time,…" – Said Naruto, but got interrupted by Kurenai.

"Wait, you are not considering doing that again, are you? What would happen if the bruise was to be worse, huh?" – Lectured Kurenai at the blond, earning looks of surprise by the blond.

"I have to become stronger, Kurenai-san. I know that you're worried about me, but I don't have the luxury to slack on my training. Hell I don't even want to take it easy, I want to be strong, so everyone would stop to protect me eventually and I would start to protect them". – Explained Naruto kindly, leaving Kurenai flabbergasted as to what a six year old boy was saying.

"I'm sorry Naruto. But try not to get hurt next time okay." – Said Kurenai in defeat.

"Got it, thanks for taking care of me, Kurenai-san, I really appreciated it". – Said Naruto showing a wide and warm smile.

"No problem." – Said Kurenai while smiling at Naruto's wild determination in getting strong.

To tell the truth, Naruto was actually sad about having to be protected all the time, sure he was young. But normal young ones didn't have that kind of protection, so Naruto sighed while seeing that his future while not predictable, would have to be similar to his father's, at least until this whole Iwa/Konoha problem. But on the other hand, he was happy because he met four new friends and a new rival in Yuugao.

Returning to the task in hand, Naruto continued to train and perfect his taijutsu sytle, now summoning only two kage bunshins so that Kurenai wouldn't worry about him. While keeping a steady and beautiful fight, Naruto and his clones was performing graceful moves, literally giving team 2 the Yondaime's taijutsu style. Since it was based on speed attacks and moderate force, Naruto was able to train both of them on equal levels, most of it, with speed being first and strength a little after.

Meanwhile, Genma was learning a new katon jutsu from Aoba called **Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu (**Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu**)**. Yuugao for her part, was medidating like Naruto and Aoba suggested but being who she is, she just couldn't just sit still for five minutes, before jumping like a mad person and start slicing the air with her katana, much to the dismay of everyone around. Seeing this, Naruto turned to her and started asking:

"Yuugao-san, tell me something? Do you have one thing in particular that calms or relax you?" – Asked Naruto earning some thought from Yuugao.

"Well, something that relaxes me….Oh, the hot springs, yeah. That relax me, but why are you asking Naruto?" – Said Yuugao sending mischevious grins at him.

"If that's the case, try closing your eyes and imagining you are taking one of the best baths you ever took." – Started Naruto, motioning for Yuugao to follow his lead and try again.

"Now, as you are taking the bath, now channel chakra through your ears and hear the wind blowing through the air like it wanted to pass by you and cool you head to toe. Now, casually sit in mantra position and keep imagining that you are taking a bath as well as listening the almost silent noise of the water evaporating from the heat temperature." – Said Naruto in a most calming voice that managed to calm Maito Gai, when he is screaming about fire of youth, calming Yuugao up to the point where she sit down and displayed a smile that could only be seen when she was in fact taking a bath.

As Naruto managed to calm Yuugao down, he resumed to his tree walking exercise a little bit and got up steady ¾ of the tree, just like before but easier. After that, all of them went inside to have some lunch.

Three hours later, the sun was almost setting down and Naruto was just training some of his agility to end the day. Seeing the blonde outside, Team 2 could only sigh inside, since they pretty much were exhausted just by seeing Naruto practice. But none of them was prepared to hear the sound of a giant boulder coming down and almost smashed Naruto pretty good. Upon seeing the shadow of the boulder, the blonde jumped away of the course, saving himself from it, but from out of the blue, a team of iwa shinobis appeared and smiled towards their objective. Since Naruto was alone on the garden, the iwa shinobi had a big advantage by blocking the all the entrances of the house, so that Team 2 couldn't stop them.

"Why are you after me? What did I do to all to you?" – Screamed Naruto, showing a little bit of fear, since the iwa shinobis were laughing at his face while approaching to him in a threatening manner.

"It's not you kid, it's because of your father and what he did to us." – Said on the chunnins.

"It was war, my father wouldn't do that if it wasn't. And it's not like each of you would kill him if an opportunity appeared." – Asked Naruto, remembering about a book that he read on the last shinobi war and the legend of his father in Iwa.

"Nevertheless, he killed many shinobis and such thing will get punishment and since he's too strong, we'll get his son instead." – Said another chunnin while trying to strike Naruto with a kick at the stomach that he slightly dodged thanks to his evasive training.

But since the chunnin surely wouldn't stop attacking, he turned and punched Naruto on the face, sending him flying and landing on the ground with blood coming out of his mouth. Naruto stood up and wiped the blood of his face proudly and determined. He had to thank the guy who punched him and awoke him of his fright. After that, he grinned and made the handseal, while screaming **kage bunshin no jutsu. **After that, five Narutos appeared and surprised all of the iwa shinobis for good. But Naruto knew that even though the numbers were on his side, the skill just wasn't so he did the only thing he could do and managed to save his ass. Seeing that the kage bunshins were vanishing like nothing, Naruto did the other technique he learned and vanished from sight.

"Where is that brat? Where did he go?" – Screamed in anger, one of the chunnin.

"I don't know, he just disappeared. Is this a genjutsu?"

"No, it can't be. He is only six. That's just not possible."

* * *

**--Inside the compound--**

Team 2 were scared of what could've happened to the blond. They just couldn't let Naruto alone with those foes, but they locked all the access points to the garden and they couldn't go help him. Instantly, they felt useless. The blond kid rubbed them a lot and they were beginning to get desperate when they heard Naruto scream the kage bunshin and they were frightened.

"Aoba-sensei, we have to save him, he can't fight four chunnins alone, even one chunnin would be almost impossible for him." – Said Genma to Aoba.

"I know that Genma, believe me if it were anything we could do, we would have done in an instant, but they blocked all the entrances. We are trapped." – Sighed Aoba.

Suddenly, they felt a little gust of wind on their backs and turned to see a miracle just appearing. Naruto was there with them with his usual grin. But he didn't know that he just used fuuton chakra while doing the shunshin. Actually, Aoba was the first to notice that and were literally flabbergasted, but lost the thoughts when Yuugao and Kurenai went to see if he was ok.

"Naruto-kun, are you okay? Are you hurt?" – Said both ladies in unison, causing Naruto to blush a little bit even though they were in a hell of a situation.

"I'm okay, you guys. Don't worry, I used kage bunshin to get them occupied so I could do the shunshin and got out of the way, appearing here." – Said Naruto.

"Very clever of you, Naruto. Now, how many kage bunshins you made?" – Aoba asked, since he still heard fight on the backyard.

"Only 5, but I believe that they were already out when I shunshined out of there, why?"

"Cause I can hear sounds of people fighting outside." – Said Aoba, earning the surprise look from everyone, including Naruto even though he was the one that created the clones.

Suddenly, the wall of mud vanished opening the passageways to the garden, revealing three Anbus standing and four chunnins on the ground unconscious. Seeing that everyone was looking at them, the Anbu captain came inside and assured Team 2 that the ninjas were taken care of.

"How are you, Naruto-kun? You were very smart, using shunshin to get out of the way; it actually made our job easier by dispatching those fools." – Said the Anbu captain, also known as Uchiha Itachi.

"It was nothing, Nii-san, if Aoba-sensei didn't teach me the technique; it would be hard as hell to escape. Thank you very much, Aoba-sensei." – Said Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, do you know him? And why did you call him nii-san." – Asked Kurenai

"I know him. He came and taught me how to improve my taijutsu once, he is very nice and strong too. I want to be just like him and Kakashi-nii-san when I grow up. And the reason I call him my nii-san, is that I consider him and Kakashi like they were my big brothers." – Said Naruto smiling at the Anbu captain.

"I expect big things from you Naruto-kun, keep up the good work. Now, my team will be taking the enemies up to Ibiki for questioning, See ya Naruto-kun." – Said Itachi before vanishing out of sight.

Once everyone was relieved of the situation, but Aoba still looked at Naruto with not believing eyes. If he respected the boy before, he now admired him. '_How the hell that he learned elemental manipulation?'_.

* * *

**--On the next day at the Hokage's office--**

On the next day, Minato arrived back from Kumo and they were pleased because of a little agreement he arranged with the now allied country, but Minato was worried as hell for his son and as it seemed by the report handed by Aoba and Itachi, Iwa did tried to kidnap Naruto again. Luckily, Naruto managed to escape doing two jutsus that only he was able to do at such an age. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Shunshin no Jutsu were not difficult jutsus to make but what they lack in performing, these jutsus compensate with the amount of chakra needed for them.

But what startled Minato was what Aoba's report said at the end. When Naruto shunshined inside the compound, Aoba could sense fuuton chakra imbedded in the technique and he swore that Naruto made a **fuuton shunshin no jutsu (**Wind Style: Body Flicker Jutsu**)**, a technique used by ninjas in Suna. But when he asked Aoba of any evidence of how Naruto even heard of elemental maniputation, he shrugged and said that he didn't see any material that could teach him that. '_How Naruto? Just tell me how can you manage to surpass my expectation all the time? I guess now he's more than ready for my new system at the academy, huh'._


	4. New attire

I would like to express my gratitude to all of the reviewers out there, you guys helped me a lot. I've already decided to write this fanfic all the way and I promise to update as quickly as I can.

Here comes the forth chapter, enjoy.

* * *

**Full Moon**(Aventure/Romance)

**Chapter 4 – ****New attire**

Two weeks after the iwa failure, Naruto got the tree walking chakra exercise and now he was studying about the water walking exercise that the fuuton book was telling about. Since Aoba was no longer teaching him, he needed some pointers about the water walking exercise. Even though the fact that the book said that once the tree walking exercise was done, the water walking wouldn't be harder, only with a different concept. The water walking exercise involved the control of the flow of chakra as well, but when walking on water, the ninja needed to control the flow of chakra according to the distance between the water surface and the ground.

Next week, Naruto would start at the academy and he was nervous as hell. He wanted to become stronger, he wanted to learn more jutsus and be able to protect other as well as himself. Naruto knew that Neji would attend the academy as well. Even though Naruto made Yuugao as his second rival, Neji was his lifetime rival. Right now, Naruto was doing taijutsu training with four kage bunshins and he was fairing very good against them.

Minato was looking his son handing himself against four kage bunshins and was actually doing very good. His taijutsu skills were very good for even a 10 year old academy student. Minato was so caught in wanderings that he failed to see that his son just disappeared from view and actually was behind him. When Minato realized this, he looked at his back and was flabbergasted. He sensed the usage of fuuton chakra and now was sure that Aoba wasn't hallucinating. Minato was so proud of his son that he grabs his son and lifted him as he was laughing along with the namikaze prodigy. Kushina was already up and was able to witness the bonding between father and son. Needless to say her worries were for nothing after all.

'_Naruto, you look more like your father every day. Now, you're going to the academy and you are to become stronger than you are now. I'll pray for your success, Naruto-kun and I hope to see you accomplish great things as a shinobi'._ – Thought Kushina as she was smiling at his son.

"Naruto-kun, why don't you get upstairs and get ready for breakfast, okay?" – Said Kushina to her son.

"Sure thing, Kaa-san, I did a lot of exercises today, I think I'll take a little shower and then visit Neji, how is that?" – Asked Naruto.

"Okay, Naruto-kun. Just don't spar too much with him, okay? Last time, both of you needed some wound treatment".

"Hehehe, it's just how we play together, don't worry kaa-san, I won't spar with him….too much, bye". – Said Naruto as he shunshined away in a little typhoon up to his room, leaving Minato laughing at his son's antics and Kushina fuming from seeing her husband laugh at her.

"Don't worry Kushina-chan, he'll be just fine, the boy enjoys being a shinobi more than anything. It's no use trying to take that away from him now, besides he and Neji are entering the academy next week. Plus, our little son is growing". – said Minato still smiling while remembering about Naruto's wind shunshin.

"I know Minato-kun, I no longer wonder about him in that way, he knows how to have fun like a kid, he'll just continue to play like that his entire life, that's all". – Said Kushina, in an ironic manner.

"Yeah, you're right. Also I came to know that our son is already earning some female attention, if you know what I mean. Hehehe, way to go my boy, uh…why are you looking at me like that, Kushina-chan?"

"Explain yourself Minato Namikaze, what do you mean by that?" – Demanded Kushina to the Yondaime, demonstrating to the blonde leader who is his worst enemy out of the shinobi world, much to Minato's dismay. He was in trouble and he knew it.

Honestly, Minato wondered about putting team 2 for taking care of Naruto because of Kurenai and Yuugao. Such teenagers were very good-looking for their ages and he knew that Naruto's personality would shake such girls a little bit. But what Aoba said, left Minato wide-eyed for a moment, as he wondered how they would do when they see Naruto in the future. As the team's sensei said, Naruto already made a rival out of Yuugao for practice and kind of asked Kurenai out to the library to buy a new book, but what one he didn't know.

"Well, Kushina-chan, the team responsible for Naruto's well being involved two kunoichis that took a liking at our little boy. One that is a kenjutsu specialist asked our son to be her rival and the other accompanied Naruto-kun to the library to buy a new book. No need to worry Kushina-chan". – Said the Yondaime putting his hands behind his head smiling like a maniac, much to Kushina's sigh, since she couldn't resist that goofy smile of his.

"If you say so, Minato-kun. Well, me and Naruto-kun are heading to visit Neji-kun and after that I think I will surprise him with some ninja equipment for the academy, right. He's starting next week, so it would be best to buy all the stuff he needs like shuriken, kunais, ninja outfits." – Said Kushina smiling from ear to ear, while thinking about her little son as one of Konoha's finest one day.

"Good idea, Kushina-chan, well I have to go to the office. Sarutobi and I are finishing the new academy plan and we need to finish it until the first day of the academy when the new academy is to be presented to the new students. With this, our shinobi will be more prepared and much stronger to deal with tough situations".

"Well, good day at work, Minato-kun".

"Thanks, have a nice day as well, Kushina-chan and I love you". – Said Minato as he waved his wife goodbye.

"Love you too, Minato-kun".

Just as Minato got out of the compound, Naruto got down stairs and set for breakfast with Kushina keeping him company while he ate the equivalent to a little battalion in order to replace the energy lost which by the way Kushina wondered if her son would ever be exhausted one day. Because of the gravity seal still on, Naruto got accustomed with the new weight and was moving normally. Actually with the tree walking exercise, Naruto learned a great deal of chakra control as well, so he managed to get used to walking with extra weight by channeling chakra through his legs for better moving and without much restriction.

After breakfast, Naruto and Kushina went outside and both looked at the sun radiating Konoha like never before. It was a very hot day that even though Konoha is situated at the Fire Country, the temperature was higher than normal, attracting all the konoha citizens to the lakes around town so to refresh.

* * *

**--****At the Hyuuga Compound--**

When Naruto and Kushina arrived at the gate, the hyuuga guards bowed and allowed them entrance, since not only they were the Hokage's family, but the Namikaze family was really close to the Hyuuga main family as well as the fact that Naruto and Kushina have a bond with Hyuuga Tenko and Neji. Once inside, the namikaze waited patiently at the main garden until Hizashi and Neji appeared to greet them. Hizashi told Kushina that Tenko was at the living room having some tea so Kushina went inside to chat with her friend and have a little talk to catch up.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Neji were eyeing each other with the regular intent of a little spar, but because of the last time they fought, Hizashi prohibited them to fight for a little while, serving as a little punishment from Kushina and Tenko, much to the infant's dismay, since when they fought each other, they improved. Neji since the last time, was training with his father in advanced instances of the Hyuuga style of fighting and got a lot stronger as a result.

Because of the fact that neither Naruto or Neji could fight, both of them decided to talk about the upcoming academy and the fact that Naruto overheard his father saying that they were to be a part of the new academy, but since Minato didn't talk in details, Naruto didn't have more to say about it.

"So Naruto, I believe that you're entering the academy, isn't it? Good, because I intend to enter as well and I want to see just how you improved since the last time you and I fought. I'll have you know that I've been training with father in the advanced ways of the jyuken". – Said Neji earning a fire inside Naruto since he was desperate for a spar between them but sighed, thinking that they could fight like crazy once at the academy.

"Yeah, Neji I'm entering as well and believe me I've been training as well. Let's wait until the academy arrives, then we can test our strength against each other, hehehe I can't wait." – Grinned Naruto, remembering the last time they fought.

Hizachi long since hearing the conversation with his son and the hokage's son could only laugh at such a rivalry that was built and hoped that these two would be the ones that guided the next ninja generation to success, if they don't get themselves killed when fighting at the academy that is. Hizashi was looking at the blonde with the byakugan and he was amazed to see that the blonde's chakra coils were more improved that it supposed to be for someone his age, but something he saw near the chest area, just confirmed the fact that the Yondaime was indeed a mad man, since there was place a gravity seal, which the hyuuga could only figure that since Naruto was so at ease by walking around that the infant was already used to using it. _Yes, these two will be very strong indeed._

"So tell me Naruto, why do you want to become a ninja? I already asked Nej that, since it's important to follow the family tradition, but it's more important to follow your instincts and know what you want to do in life?" – Asked Hizashi, showing the infants that the shinobi world is nothing sort of a game to be played.

"Well, Hizashi-sama, I would like to be a ninja in order to protect other as well as myself. You see, ever since the first iwa attempt of kidnapping, I found that if I was strong enough, I wouldn't need to be protected anymore and I believe helping others is what I intend to do once I become a shinobi. After all, all shinobi missions are requested by people who need help isn't it?" – Said Naruto, with a hand behind his head and smiling.

"Very well, good answer, Naruto. It's important to know what you want to be in life. It's important to plan ahead and remember children, the shinobi world is no fun and games, once the mission gets out of hand, it's up to the shinobi to use his skills in a way to run damage control if need be. There will be times when you guys have to kill in the name of the village or at least defend yourselves from powerful ninjas out there. Naruto, since you are the Yondaime's son, watch out for Iwa shinobi, once you're outside the village, they won't hesitate to capture you. Neji, in your case, Kumo is for you like Iwa is for Naruto, so when your time comes and you need to get out of the village on missions, be extra careful, okay. Take this advice to the heart.

"Hai" – Said the two infants in unison earning a smile from the hyuuga elder.

After some time talking, Kushina bid her friend goodbye since she wanted to surprise Naruto by buying him shinobi gear for the academy that would be starting in one week. Tenko smiled at her friend and bid her farewell. Once outside, Kushina called for Naruto so that they can go back to the Namikaze compound, but little did Naruto know that his mother had something in storage for him.

* * *

**--At the Uzuki Residence--**

In the garden, a purple-haired kunoichi was practicing some kenjutsu katas while her father just watched in amazement as his daughter was faster and stronger by the minute. He smiled, remembering when Yuugao came home two weeks ago telling them about her team's mission protecting Naruto as well as training alongside him. Back then, Yuugao came rushing at him with a smile that could be seen all over Konoha as she was describing her newest rival which by the way was the six-year old hokage's son who not only managed to gather her interest out of all her genin peers, but also seemed to fair pretty well in taijutsu/kenjutsu spar with Yuugao.

Uzuki Mamoto never would have thought that the Yondaime's son could be advanced like his daughter described his skills. He was flabbergasted upon hearing that Naruto had immense chakra reserves and was able to do the kage bunshin as well as the shunshin, being the latter added with fuuton chakra according to his daughter's sensei Aoba.

But a thought appeared in Mamoto's head and he remembered that his daughter had a crush on the current hokage and he wished that her crush wouldn't end up being the hokage's son, wishing that his daughter if in fact wanted to be with Naruto, that at least they got to know each other better and develop their lives. Mamoto thought again and concluded that his daughter was never a fangirl to begin with and he knew that she would take her rivalry with the gaki seriously as well as their certain friendship.

Yuugao for her part was getting used to using the gravity seal that Naruto put on her a week ago. As she was delivering some heavy blows while cutting the air, she remembered the day that Naruto explained the use of gravity seal and that she requested if was possible that he could put on her.

**Flashback on**

One week after the iwa attempt, Naruto was walking towards the library to see if something new had arrived. Suddenly, a purple-haired kunoichi appeared out of nowhere, screaming his name.

"Naruto-kun, wait up?" – Screamed Yuugao as she appeared in front of him.

"Yuugao-san, how do you do? Where is the fire?" – Asked Naruto.

"I'm fine, Naruto-kun. Listen, I would like to ask you a question about your gravity seal. How does it work? Can I use it or it's something hokage-sama invented for you to use". – Asked Yuugao, remembering about their fight when he released his gravity seal and suffered a huge burst of speed.

"Well, the gravity seal works by increasing the gravity force on your body, naturally increasing your bodyweight. With it, moving tends to be difficult, since the gravity force is much stronger. The way you can move with the gravity seal is by pumping chakra through your legs as you move them. This exercise helps to expand your chakra reserves as well as your control over it. After the seal is rested on you, all you have to do to activate is channel chakra through it and use the word 'Kai' and it's the same to deactivate. You can put more than one seal on your body as you are getting used to. Apart for the fact that it's quite dangerous because the heavy movement tends to hurt your body muscles, everyone can use it, why?"

"Well, I was hoping if you could put one on me? It's not fair that you use this and I your rival don't?" – Said Yuugao, earning some muttering from Naruto, 'saying that she is eight years older than him and already a genin and she is the one that uses the word fair in a sentence'. But luckily to him, she didn't listen.

"Sure, but I see you understand the risks, once I put one of the gravity seal on you, it will be hell to get used to, are you okay with it"; - Said Naruto, earning a nod and a smile from her rival. "Okay, so where do you want the gravity seal to go?" – Asked Naruto blushing a little bit, since his was on his chest and he wouldn't dare to ask her if she wanted it on her chest, but somehow he knew that his rival would have some teasing because of it.

"Wherever you like it, Naruto-_kuun._" – Said Yuugao earning a red tomado blush out of her rival, much to her amusement, seeing that she adored to tease Naruto. "Teasings apart, I want on my left arm.

"O.Okay then, extend your arm, Yuugao-san so I can put the gravity seal on." – Said Naruto as Yuugao complied. At extending her arms, Naruto placed a paper tag with a drawing that indicated the gravity seal and made the necessary hand seals to make it go active on her, making her fall on the ground because of it.

Now Yuugao was speechless and hurt. Her face was flat out on the ground and she forced herself up with brute strength, but was having problems doing so only to look that Naruto was looking at her seriously.

"Yuugao-san, in order to move with the gravity seal active, you have to use chakra, not brute strength. The gravity seal increases your body weight up to 20 pounds per seal. So if you think about it, you would weigh 20 pounds more with each seal.

At hearing this, Yuugao mumbling something about cursing the little gaki and wondering how the hell could he take this and be normally. She focused on using chakra on her body as she was getting up a little easily, but since her chakra levels were lower than Naruto, she was almost panting because of it, having to deactivate the gravity seal.

"Quite a training, isn't it Yuugao-san?" – Laughed Naruto as he remembered himself slamming his face on the ground after his father introduced him to the seal.

**Flashback off**

As a result of getting used to the gravity seal, her chakra levels improved greatly and she could almost scream in joy as she would be now learning ninjutsu with Aoba-sensei. Even though Yuugao's chakra levels were high for a kunoichi, she couldn't rely on ninjutsu to fight in battle, resorting to the use of E ranked jutsus and her father's kenjutsu style.

'_It seemed my father's advice at getting a rival did indeed help me a lot. I have to remember thanking Naruto-kun for the gravity seal, it was sure hell get__ting used to, but once you get accustomed, it pretty much feels that the seal is non-existent'. _– Thought Yuugao as she was progressing through the katas.

* * *

**--****With Naruto and Kushina--**

Now outside the Hyuuga compound, Naruto and Kushina were walking through the crowded streets of Konoha, apparently going nowhere, well for Naruto's part he didn't know where they were going, but Kushina very well knew and she was going to surprise Naruto by going to a ninja store that she and Minato were when they were chunnin sometime ago.

Naruto was becoming suspicious of his mother's behavior since she was trying to hide a smile on her face for no apparent reason. Kushina was never good with deception skills, but even though Naruto was quite smart for his age he lacked the experience to understand face expressions and compare them with emotions. However, since he didn't have anything to do back at home, other than catching up on the fuuton book, he dismissed the thought and just continued walking together with his mother, until they came to stop near the commercial center and in front of a two-floor house. Showing Naruto to enter along with a smile on her face as she watched the now more suspicious than ever Naruto enter in what he would after describe as a 'shinobi paradise'.

As he entered the store, his mouth opened and his jaw hit the ground one second later. Shelves and shelves of ninja attire, kunais, shurikens, senbons, holsters, kodachis, katanas, wakizachis, bo staffs. Right now, Naruto cursed not having the byakugan bloodlimit, since he couldn't look at all the ninja equipment at once, which resulted in Naruto turning his head left and right several times trying to grasp the wide display of ninja attire the same way a child would look at a toy store.

Kushina upon seeing Naruto's expression, smiled even more if possible, since the woman was already smiling when she entered the door. She was happy to see how much Naruto seemed to enjoy just being inside the store as did his father once Kushina introduced him to the owner of the store.

"Surprise, Naruto-kun, we're here to buy some ninja equipments as well as some clothes to aid you in battle, now since kunais, shurikens and the holsters are pretty much the same, except for the holster's color, go ahead and pick some clothes that you would like to wear, but tell me what color would you like the holster and how many of them?

"Kaa-san, I don't know what to say…thank you so much for this, I wasn't expecting at all." – Said Naruto as he hugged his mother tight in appreciation.

"You're most welcome Naruto-kun, but eventually you would need to come here to buy clothes and all, I just wanted to surprise you and by seeing the looks on your face, I think I managed to do that, didn't I?" Now, what's going to be?" – Said Kushina smiling while seeing Naruto was still trying to show gratitude to her.

"Uh, black holster, and I would like two of them, thanks mom, I'll go to see some clothes now". – Said Naruto as he went to the shinobi wear section and begun to look around already picturing a very cool outfit for him, whike Kushina was ordering the usual, that being a set of kunai, a set of shuriken and the two black holsters.

For Naruto's part, he was first choosing his paints. Naruto wasn't to fund of much details concerning clothes, he wanted it to plain and simple, a color that would not attract attention but also didn't scream experienced shinobi. As he was seeing the different pants models, his eyes caught some movement from a room just on the corner of the store and he witnessed a girl around his age, wearing Chinese outfit, just picking some boxes from the room.

After that, he just returned to the outfit choosing and managed to come in contact with black cargo paints that were similar with the ones Anbu used on missions. After that T-shirts and fishnet shirts. Naruto already knew he wanted to use fishnet sleeveless shirts so he did even bother looking for it. After some time, after almost quitting to look for a shirt to wear, he spotted a shelf of graffiti T-shirts with a ribbons at the end of the sleeves that were really nice. As Naruto mentally pictured his new look, he smiled knowing that he was able to choose his outfit. He was to buy some black cargo paints, fishnet sleeveless shirts and the graffiti T-shirts, two of each color (red, ocean blue and dark grey).

Just as he dressed up his new attire, his mother came to look at what her son picked to wear and was surprised to see he picked some good looking clothes. The whole package fitted him perfectly and the graffiti T-shirt went along with black paints. "You managed to get some good outfit, Naruto-kun, very handsome as well, I might add."

"Mom, please." – Sounded Naruto since every time his mother did this, he blushed like crazy in embarrassment.

"What, you do. Now, take a look at these fingerless black gloves I found near the holsters, I think they match your outfit, put it on and let's see." – Said Kushina while looking at her son's reflection on the mirror. Now, with the gloves, Kushina was now once again worried about fangirls at the academy. _Damn that Minato-kun, you just had to say that, didn't you?_

"Gee, thanks mom, they are perfect". – Said Naruto as he closed his hand forming a fist to see how it would be to fight using the gloves and to his amazement, the rubber wasn't so tight, giving some almost a free hand when to form seals and all.

"Great, now let's go. Here, Tanaku-san, we would like seven pairs of the black cargo paints, four sleeveless fishnet shirts and six of these graffiti T-shirts, two on each color, please." – Said Kushina as she motioned to buy the clothes from a dear friend of his that happened to be a retired Anbu.

"Okay, Kushina-san, so this is Naruto, it's a pleasure to meet you. I figure you're entering the academy this year, right. My daughter will start attending this year as well. Yes, she's quite anxious to get out of the shop for a while. She has a like for weapons like no one I ever met before. – Said Tanaku just for Naruto to remember the girl on the back and he figured that

"Pleasure is all mine, Tanaku-san, yes I will be attending the academy as well". – Said Naruto as he saw Kushina handing the right amount of money to cover everything.

"Right, Kushina-san, everything will be ready in two days, be sure to stop by then to pick them Naruto-kun, I'll be waiting you." – Said Tanaku as he demonstrated a genuine smile towards the boy who just returned to gesture equally.

"Okay, Tanaku-san, see you in two days, bye."

* * *

**--With team 2--**

At training ground #2 Team 2 were beginning their training, since today wouldn't be any mission scheduled. They were doing some warm-up exercises almost eagerly in anticipation, since today they would be learning elemental chakra manipulation as well as some jutsus according to each ninja's elemental affinity. Since Genma knew his already which by the way was fire, Aoba could help him a lot, since one of his affinities that Aoba possess is fire as earth being the other one.

But since Aoba was very diligent as a teacher, he along with other jounin senseis, gathered a little jutsu library for each affinity, so that the genins could learn throughout their carriers. Actually, it would be also served for the new academy, since elemental ninjustu was in fact a new subject at the new academy.

"Kurenai-san and Yuugao-san, as you know these are elemental chakra papers. So go ahead, channel charka through them and let's see in what element are each of you aligned with." – Said Aoba as he handed the chakra papers, he decided to speak once again. "Remember, if the papers burns it's katon, if it crumble, raiton, if the paper splits in half, fuuton, if it's wet, suiton and if it turns to dust, doton.

As sensei Aoba instructed, Yuugao and Kurenai channeled chakra through the papers. With that, Yuugao's chakra paper soaked wet and Kurenai turned to ashes, meaning suiton for Yuugao and katon for Kurenai.

"Ah, I see you got suiton, Yuugao-san, actually it's perfect for your style of fighting, since you can fight in great speeds, the basics of suiton ninjutsu is having the force of a strong current from the bottom and calm from the surface. As your fluidity in moving progresses, so will be your suiton ninjutsu. But unfortunately, I don't have most knowledge on suiton ninjutsus, making it difficult for me to teach you, but take this. This scroll with give you everything to know about suiton jutsu and how to attain it. Now about the list of jutsus at the last page of the scroll, do not try does labeled as B ranked jutsus only until you become chunnin". – Said Aoba as he tossed a big-sized scroll with practically all that is to know about suiton jutsus.

"Now, Kurenai-san, since your element is fire, I believe a more direct approach from me will be sufficient for ninjutsu training, seeing the fact that you wanted to specialized in genjutsu usage. So, I would be teaching four katon jutsus that I believe that will serve you quite well, now to fully use elemental chakra in battle.

Kurenai, for her part, was a little bit sad about hearing from Aoba that resorting only to genjutsu in battle isn't enough, but she dismissed the thought when he clarified saying that it wasn't a problem with genjutsu, Aoba explained that if a ninja resorts to one specific ability in battle, the enemy can overpower him easily, so in order to surprise the opponent, the ninja must have more than good ability, hence the fact why a jounin must master at least two chakra elements to pass the jounin test.

"Now, Yuugao since you have suiton affinity, here is a scroll that explains everything you need to know about suiton ninjutsu. Also, try to find someone who could explain them better or to answer any doubts you may have. I'm terribly sorry I won't be able to teach you about it, but I promise to help when I can, okay?"

"It's okay, Aoba-sensei. My father has suiton affinity as well, I'll ask him". – Said Yuugao smiling to her sensei, making him relax a little bit, since he was truly depressed that he wasn't able to help one of his students. Since Aoba was more of a katon user and much less a doton user, suiton ninjutsu simply was the complete opposite of the ones he mastered.

* * *

**--At the Namikaze Compound--**

Now back at home, Naruto left his shopping bags on the table, since it was time for lunch. Actually Naruto was really hungry a while ago, but somehow the quest for having 'cool ninja stuff', said by himself, made him forget about the fact that his stomach was calling for some assistance, which was surprising for both Naruto and Kushina, since his stomach growled practically the entire time they were at the ninja store and Naruto didn't make a single complain.

After some lunch that he ate together with his mother, Naruto run upstairs to learn some more about fuuton chakra. The reason why he was eager with excitement was simple, the next page on the book was an E ranked ninjutsu called **Fuuton Kaze no Jutsu (**Wind Style: Wind Breeze Jutsu**) **and he was desperate to try his first fuuton ninjutsu, but little did Naruto know that he already did his first one, by subconsciously adding wind chakra when using the shunshin.

Which could be counted like a blur, Naruto entered his room, shut the door, picked the fuuton book and proceeded to his desk in less than a second. After the book recognized Naruto's affinity, which in fact is necessary since the book doesn't has a memory seal to know Naruto's chakra before check, he opened and proceeded to read where he stopped last time. As he was reading, he came to learn that D ranked fuuton ninjutsu could be learnt by having mastered the tree walking exercise as opposed to C and higher techniques which required at least water walking exercise, which according to Naruto, he wanted to take it easy at keeping up non-stop on intellectual or spiritual exercises such as chakra control and using ninjutsu. Because of a little incident with kage bunshin while trying water walking, he suffered some extreme headache after dispelling the clones, so now he focused mainly on harnessing physical skills, like taijutsu and now target practice since he just acquired kunais and shurikens.

As he progressed through the book, he reached his objective for the day which was to read about D ranked fuuton ninjutsu and how to use **Fuuton Kaze no Jutsu**. Reading intently, trying not to miss any information regarding the technique, he read the information twice:

_Fuuton Kaze no Jutsu – D ranked. With the __seals as showed below, the ninja throws a wind breeze, by focusing a little quantity of fuuton chakra through the ninja's lungs and then exhale it through your mouth. This is a weak version of the __**Fuuton Daitoppa no Jutsu, **__which even though has the same concept, is labeled as a C ranked jutsu, because of further use of chakra._

Figuring he had down the concept of the technique, he went outside for training. The day was a little chilly which proved to make it hard for him to see if he was able to do it or not. Deciding to turn to the book once again to see if he missed anything, he came to a part which could really help him see if he managed to do it. _In order to learn this technique, you have to use against an object who wouldn't move because of the air breeze like leaves, use instead a little piece of rock which by your wind breeze, could move it. _

Finding a rock as described on the book, he closed his eyes and started doing the meditation part in a way so that fuuton chakra starts running through his tenketsus. After ten minutes of it, he began to feel fuuton chakra travel inside his body like he was travelling through the air, certainly relaxing every part of his body in the process. Actually this new meditation exercise of Naruto (which was described in the book), made his body relax in a way that Naruto could swear that he was lighter than normal. His body was so light that he thought that if he jumped he would just float back on the ground.

Now waken up from his meditation and with fuuton chakra running through his body, Naruto remembered the hand signs as he progressed through them, molding his chakra for the technique. For his first try, he didn't even felted any breeze coming from his mouth and only after a while, did he realized that he not gathering enough chakra through his lungs which showed him that even though the book stated that such technique could be learned from having tree walking level of chakra control, it wouldn't be impossible to do it, just difficult. As determined as he was and the fact that he had nothing else to do, he tried again and again. At the third try, he was able to feel the breeze through his throat. Now happy and even more determined, he did once again the hand seals for this time, making the rock move but only slightly. Now fuming with rage for not getting the rock to move further, he decided to have a _different_approach, pumping more chakra through his lungs and see what happened. After he did it, when he opened his mouth, actually of a little wind breeze, Naruto's was more like a gust of wind, throwing the little rock far away as well as yank a little tree from the ground that his mother had just planted a while ago.

Seeing this, he was frightened to death. Somehow Kushina developed a passion for gardening and he began buying book after book about it, trying to learn how to plant and create a beautiful garden. Now remembering his mother's reaction when Minato accidently stepped one of her plants and Naruto was now terrified but also happy, happy because somehow if the book was right, Naruto just made the **Fuuton Daitoppa no Jutsu (**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu**)**. Since Naruto read a lot, his intellect was further developed and he now was using his thinking only to conclude that the more chakra needed for the technique, the less chakra control he needed for it, being that a theory to him, since he did his supposedly first fuuton ninjutsu and a C level no less.

Nevertheless, Naruto was terrified, but he decided not to tell anyone, since it would be him on Kushina's target. With Minato, all she did was chase him with throwing kunais at him but since Minato was way faster than Naruto, he feared that he wouldn't be able to dodge the kunai and will be certain death for him, but he figured that being his mother, she wouldn't go to such a state….or would she? Thinking nothing of it, he turned to see the living room as he hear Minato's voice announcing his arrival.

Instantly, he shunshined in a little tornado and appeared in front of his father trying to scare him or catch him off guard. Just as he arrived where he would catch his father off guard, he didn't count that Minato being the hokge AKA strongest ninja on the village, as he sensed fuuton chakra, just gave two steps further from where he was and turned out, now facing a clueless Naruto trying to search for his father.

"Trying to scare me Naruto-kun?" – Said Minato, earning a scream from Naruto who was caught by his father by only walking some steps.

"Ahhhh. Tou-san how did you know what I did even before I appeared?" - Shouted Naruto now slightly mad about being busted from his little joke with his father, as well as interested on how the hell did his father knew where he would appear even before he appeared, little did he know that his shunshin was different than the regular, since it used elemental chakra, therefore being easily noticeable.

"I sensed you coming, that's all, why were you trying to scare me is what I would like to know huh little fellow? Would you think you could scare a hokage Naruto-kun?" – Smiled Minato, not knowing of his son's quick response as well as the fact that Naruto scared him once.

"Ok, first of all, I did already scared you back when I shunshined behind you. But tell me how were you able to know where I would be appearing? I mean, the shunshin supposed to be an evasive technique." – Answered Naruto, earning mumbles from the hokage which sounded like 'smartass'.

"Well, Naruto-kun, a _normal _shunshin would be an evasive technique, but what you did wasn't a regular one". Said Minato, before looked at his son's face to realize that what he just said didn't make any sense to Naruto.

"What do you mean normal shunshin, I thought that was only one kind. Aoba-sensei taught that to me while his team was here". – Said Naruto, not using his intellect even the slightest, because if he did, he would conclude that every time, since he started reading the book, he tended to apply fuuton chakra as well.

"So, you mean to tell me that you don't know you are using fuuton chakra together with the shunshin?" – Asked Minato only with the purpose to enlighten his son's question, since he saw the young kid's eyes widen in realization of what happened. Naruto for his part, felt like an idiot now, seeing that he was subconsciously using fuuton chakra every time.

"Son, don't berate yourself, already using elemental manipulation at your age is an astonishing feat and it seemed that by your display of shunshin, that your element in wind. But tell me son, how did you know about even using fuuton chakra let alone actually make fuuton ninjutsus?" – Asked Minato, now more perplexed at the fact that his son could already use fuuton chakra with six years old. Naruto for his part, remembered his father berating him for training high leveled ninjutsu before going to the academy and he didn't want for his father to know about his book about fuuton jutsu, but now he had to tell and await the consequences.

"When you and mom were away, I went to the library and found a book about fuuton ninjutsu written by a famous jounin back in Suna. The book had a seal that check to see if the person who's holding the book has fuuton as an element and when I picked it up from the library, the book checked me and open. I've been reading it ever since." – Said Naruto with his head down, awaiting the punishment, with surprisingly enough, never came, instead Minato just landed his hand on top of Naruto's head and began to harass his hair while smiling.

"What, were you expecting punishment for disobeying my orders, Naruto-kun. Don't be really, I laid that order in order to prevent any serious danger involving using high leveled ninjustu and the affect on the person's chakra supply, but since you were precocious either by understanding the concept behind fuuton ninjutsu as well as tree walking chakra level of control mastered, but I'm sure that the book said to have at least water walking exercise chakra control. Be proud of yourself Naruto-kun, you are growing and soon you will be a great shinobi, I can pretty much see it". – Said Minato extremely proud of his son's early accomplishments and soon to be considered a genius just like Itachi.

Now wondering about the Uchiha genius, The yondaime was worried about him. It's been some time since he was upgrated to Anbu captain and according to the head of the Anbu division, Itachi seemed to be getting somewhat bored about doing what seemed to be 'almost suicidal missions'. Minato strongly believed that putting a 13 year old into Anbu, was pure madness. Anbu can surely be stressful to say the least, few hours to sleep every day, constantly locked in death battles and war zones, being an Anbu wasn't just because the guy had skills as a shinobi. Experience on the battlefield was vital for an Anbu to _survive _while serving as an Anbu. Itachi, some time ago, told Minato that he saw great potential in Naruto as a future shinobi and now Minato figured that Naruto was actually the main reason why the Uchiha genius didn't go nuke-nin or something like that. Itachi, considered a genius among shinobi, had an _advanced _growth, so to say. Graduated at the academy with seven years old, being chunnin by the age of ten. He was the reason why Naruto didn't go to the academy at an early age. Taking it easy sometimes helped more than push up the limit. The mind has to have time to grow, every step in life should be taken one at a time, so as to not backfire and the ninja snap and lose his sanity in the process. Itachi eventually cursed in front of the Yondaime about shinobis being too damn proud of their kekkei genkais or heritage and the fact that all of them with very few exceptions didn't even bother to train harder or even progress the bloodline.

Now looking at his son, he figured the answer to a doubt he brought up to the Sandaime about what to do in order to grow the future genin's skills as well as intellect, mind training. Like Naruto, every academy student must form his little library of books to read about shinobi aspects or at least have an weekly attendance at Konoha's public library. Sometimes, the search for information can overcome some doubts as well as harness the ninja's way of thinking so to get out of a tough situation or come up with an strategy to complete the mission. For Naruto's part, he was watching his father as he was lost in thoughts about something he couldn't put his mind on. "Uh, tou-san?"

"What, oh sorry about that, tell me Naruto-kun, how much of fuuton chakra usage you know and more importantly, is fuuton shunshin the only technique you know how to do?" – Asked Minato, awaiting the answer only to confirm the last piece of the puzzle that was to come up with a new academy.

"Actually, I didn't know I made fuuton shunshin, but I also have a second technique I learned from the book. Well, actually, I didn't quite get it. You see the technique called **Fuuton Kaze no Jutsu** is a D ranked one, but because my control is not up to water walking level, I couldn't do it completely. But as I read the book, it said that such technique is a weaker version of the **Fuuton Daitoppa no Jutsu **with the difference being more chakra. So after a few 20 times I tried that first one, I grew tired of it and just used a lot of chakra, actually doing the latter, but there is one problem, Tou-san and I think that kaa-san would not be as _thrilled _as you are right now". – Said Naruto now being frightened again.

"What is it? Wait, you didn't mean you….You said you used the Fuuton Daitoppa at the garden, no Naruto-kun, that technique could dismantle any tree from the garden, wait a minute.." – Said Minato as he went to the garden, only to see the entire landscape from the right corner leveled and place where Kushina's first plant gone (well, second being first the one that he stepped in).

"Naruto-kun, your mother is going to be so pissed at you and the fact is I'm too scared of her to…" – Said Minato stopping dead on his tracks as his shinobi senses were shouting like mad people running away from a bijuu and instantly he knew this feeling. It was the same time he stepped on top of the first plant Kushina grew and now his son was in deep trouble.

What could be described as hilarious from some people, for Naruto and Minato was a scene for Shinigami himself in a bad day. When Naruto and Minato turned, their eyes meet with Kushina's red blood eyes fuming with rage at not only seeing the entire landscape leveled, but also her plant gone. Without hesitation and utterly furious, Kushina picked a kunai and started to chase the Namikaze duo in extreme rage, much to the blonde's despair.

"Naruto-kun, deactivate your gravity seal this instant and….run for your life." – Screamed Minato as he along with his son was sprinting around the now leveled garden with Kushina chasing them with a kunai in hand and screaming for blood.

* * *

**--Meanwhile at the Hyuuga Household--**

Hyuuga Hizashi and Hyuuga Neji were sparring when suddenly they felt a major killing intent coming from the namikaze residence.

"Tou-san, did you feel it? It's coming from Naruto-san's house? Do you think they are in danger? Should we help them?" – Asked Neji before seeing that his father was trying hard not to fall down laughing like a maniac. After a little struggle, he gave up and held his stomach laughing his ass off at what he spotted with his byakugan.

"Neji-kun, do me a favor, try to use your byakugan a little further and you will understand why I'm like this, Hahahahah" – Said Hizachi, almost not able to even talk because of all the laughter and the sudden loss of air while laughing.

As Neji activated further the byakugan, he came to a scene of Naruto and the Hokage running away from what seemed to be a possessed Kushina holding a kunai in a threatening manner towards the two. Upon seeing this, he could only do one thing…..laugh just like his father did, because of the funny situation of seeing the hokage running away scared from a bloodthirsty wife a kunai on her hand.

* * *

**--Back at the Namikaze Compound--**

After some thirty laps around the namikaze compound, a tired Kushina just went inside having given up from getting angry at the blondes, since she came to realize that while they used the garden as training, a lot of damage could be done, so she figured that she would open a garden store or buy a little land just for gardening.

For Naruto and Minato's part, they whispered in relief seeing that their supposed killer had given up and just went inside. Recovering his breathing now, Minato turned to Naruto and promply asked Naruto to do the Fuuton Daitoppa again so he could see it. Just as Naruto was going to do the jutsu, his father stopped him pointing to the air showing him where to aim the technique, which he complied with laughter and scratching the back of his head, not wanting to have to escape his mother's wrath any longer.

"**Fuuton Daitoppa no Jutsu"**** – **Said Naruto as he exhaled now a larger gust of wind from his mouth up to the sky, earning some applauses from his father. Needless to say Naruto's skills were growing at an excellent pace.


	5. Academy

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* * *

**

Full Moon

**Chapter ****5 – Academy**

Two days since Naruto's daitoppa destroyed Kushina's little chance of beginning a garden creation, the blonde headed for the ninja shop in order to pick up the outfit which according to his mother's friend, it was supposed to be ready by now. But instead of just walking towards the place, Naruto, being a tank filled with energy, channeled chakra through his feet and began jumping through rooftops like a maniac, smiling all the way there.

Half the way, Naruto stopped to see the academy building to the left and he screamed inside his mind about training even harder and perhaps even learn new jutsus on the way as well. Since he discovered how to do a C ranked level technique, it wouldn't be hard to learn another one that he has yet to find on the book. This time, since the daitoppa was offensive technique, Minato proposed to him to learn a C ranked defensive attack that could match the force of the daitoppa concerning defense, like a shield of wind of something like that. Minato was extremely proud of the boy for grasping first elemental techniques than non-elemental ones. Normally, the elemental ones was tougher to learn and required much dedication, but since Naruto already developed fuuton ninjutsu early, Minato concluded that the non-elemental ones wouldn't need very much of him.

His father thought of teaching him other kage (shadow) techniques, like **kage shuriken no jutsu **(shuriken shadow clone jutsu)**, **but he thought better of it. Naruto was growing fast, but not only the fact that Naruto was keeping his own pace, adapting while learning from his books, but also he wanted for Naruto to choose his jutsu arsenal, just like he did when he was growing up. Minato was all in favor of his son asking for help on a certain jutsu than for him to just choose one and teach it to Naruto.

For Naruto's part, he wasn't the one who wanted to make his father proud, sure he was happier when his father commended him on his skills, but most of the things he did, all his training, all the reading was because of him and his need to fulfill a desire to become strong and be able to protect others. Naruto was one more step from beginning his ninja career and he was getting excited by the minute.

* * *

**--At the shop--**

As he arrived at the shop, he arrived only to see the girl he remembered from two days ago with the kung fu style outfit, reading something behind the counter. Upon close inspection, Naruto managed to see what she was reading and it turned out to be a book about famous weapons across the shinobi world.

Not wanting to disturb her at the moment, he figured that if he would check around the store a little bit, the girl would notice a customer and attend him. So he turned to see some shinobi weapons that were on display on the left side of the shop. The weapons were divided in swords, knifes, bo staffs and kunai/shurikens. As he took a wakizachi, the sound of the little sword coming out of the holster got the girl's attention and she immediately dropped the book.

"Hello there customer-san, what are you interested in?" – Approached Tenten as well as mentally study the boy who seemed to be around her age, but slightly taller than her as well as the fact that the way he was holding the sword, showed her that the gaki didn't have any sword skills at all.

"Hi there, I'm sorry, I was just admiring this sword here. But why I came exactly is to pick up some clothes I bought two days ago. I'm sorry, but I haven't asked about your name, I'm sorry, my name is Namikaze Naruto, nice to meet you." – Said Naruto as he put the sword back to its place on the shelf as well as give the girl a ticket needed to withdraw the clothes he purchased.

"It's okay. Nice to meet you, my name is Makoto Tentei. Wait right here, your clothes are ready I'll go get it for you".

"Okay, thanks a lot" – Thanked Naruto as he watched Tentei climb up some set of stairs in order to get Naruto's packages.

After she came back with a sack, Naruto was going to pick them up, when Tentei stopped him saying that there were another package, since it was a whole wardrobe worth of new clothes and one sack just wouldn't do. After she came with the last one, he wondered how the hell could he carry the two of them since both of them were very heavy to carry and he didn't like to focus chakra on his arms to lift the god damn thing together. He figured that if he did that, he would suffer from chakra exhaustion at half the way to his house.

"If you want to, I can help you carry the bags up to your house. You know, two people can carry it better than one". – Said Tentei offering help for Naruto, not at all realizing that she just gave him an excellent idea. While he didn't want to become a burden for her, he acknowledged the idea of two people being better than one to carry.

"Thanks Tentei-san, but it's no problem, I just need two new pair of hands to carry them, **kage bunshin no jutsu**." – Screamed Naruto making the hand seal necessary for the clone to appear and pick one of the sacks while the real Naruto went to pick up the other one, leaving a perplexed Tentei.

"Thanks for the clothes, see you around, okay?" – Said the two Narutos in unison, earning a simple 'huh' from Tentei as she processed the information on the fact Naruto had created a clone of himself which appeared to have a life on his own, quite different than the regular bunshin which was basically an illusion.

"O.Okay, see you".

After walking away from the store, the naruto duo jumped up to the rooftops and started heading to his house so to drop the stuff and find a defensive fuuton jutsu to balance the odds when fighting.

* * *

**--With Yuugao--**

Yuugao was travelling through rooftops as well, heading for the training ground that her team met every day. She was remembering about her suiton affinity and the scroll's teachings. While she understood the concept of water manipulation, she was having hard times applying the theory to practice. She even asked her father for some guidelines in achieving the water manipulation, but what he said, pretty much confused her even more.

**Flashback on**

Yuugao was standing on top of a river near her house, trying to apply what she learned about suiton manipulation, but she just couldn't get the water to evaporate which was the first exercise and the first jutsu on the scroll as well called **Suiton Ame no Justu **(Water Style: Rain Jutsu). With this jutsu, the ninja could create a little raincloud and form a little rain. But since she couldn't even make the water to move to her call, she as hell woudn't be able to do the technique.

While she was trying, her father was passing by and saw his daughter trying to manipulate water just like did when he was her age. A little memory passed through his head and he smiled a bit. Back then, he was as well on top of the water trying to manipulate suiton ninjutsu. But he knew the answer as to why his daughter couldn't do it and sigh, thinking that Yuugao's active personality was becoming an obstacle to her growth as a kunoichi.

"Yuugao-chan, I see you're trying on suiton, aren't you?" – Smiled Mamoto, seeing the angry face on his daughter, wondering mentally that the look of her was the whole reason why she couldn't do it.

"Tou-san, I can't do it, it's really tough, you're a suiton type as well, doesn't you, do you have some pointers for me, please?"

"Sweaty, if you want to learn how to manipulate water, you have to become like the water, deadly below the surface while calm on the surface. Remember that if you want to be able to control suiton ninjutsu. Anyway, your mother called, it's dinner time, come". – Said Mamoto, as he turned and headed for the house, leaving a thoughtful Yuugao, remembering Aoba saying the same thing.

**Flashback off**

Yuugao was pounding on what her father meant when he said it, but even though she understood what she had to do, she didn't know how to do. 'deadly below the surface, calm on the surface'. _What does that mean? _As she was jumping through rooftops, her eyes caught two people looking exactly the same, carrying each one a bag or something like that. Upon close inspection, she recognized the duo as being Naruto and what could be one of his clones. Seeing that she was early, she decided to great the little blonde and see what is he up to. Upon arrival, she noticed that he stopped and turned to look at her with an inquisitive face.

"Why are you following me Yuugao-san, you could just say hello you know?" – Said Naruto, earning mumbles from Yuugao as she was cursing his sarcastic attitude.

"Hello Naruto-kun, what you up to?" – Asked Yuugao, seizing up, while noticing that Naruto had a new look for him. He was wearing black Anbu paints, a fishnet shirt with a graffiti T-shirt as well as a black fingerless glove. She had to admit that new look suited very well. _He already looks like a genin in those clothes, Naruto-kun_.

"Uh, I'm heading home, I need to drop this bags there and after that, I'm doing a little reading on a specific book I'm interested in". – Said Naruto, not at all willing to spoil the surprise on Yuugao's face when the next time they spar, Naruto use fuuton ninjutsu. "And you, Yuugao-san, how's going?"

"I'm heading to meet my team. Say Naruto-kun, that new looks of yours suited you pretty good, you already look like a genin in these outfit". – Said Yuugao, as she once again witnessed one of her favorite sights, a blushing Naruto and couldn't feel but smile upon seeing the look on his face.

"Heheh, you really think so?" – Asked Naruto, not managing to control the amount of red on his face from hearing a complement from Yuugao.

"Of course. Now what do you say we have a little spar so I can get warmed up for missions. I know you can't resist a challenge, now don't you Naruto-kun, what do you say?"

"Just name the place Yuugao-san. Oh I've being meaning to ask you, how is the gravity seal coming along?" – Answered Naruto as he remembered that she was using one and didn't seem to be have trouble moving around.

"I've already adapted to it. Follow me, we are going to that training ground right there. Say, Naruto-kun could you put one more after our spar, I want to get stronger and this seal of yours really does the trick. How many do you have right now?" – Said Yuugao, as both of them were already heading for the training ground.

"I have four on me. But the forth one proved to be a bit of a challenge, it's hard to move without channeling chakra, but I'll manage some time during this week, it's just a matter of time. So, I see you're training a lot, aren't you? Already wanting another one, I told you this thing is addictive, didn't I? hehehe" – Smiled Naruto towards Yuugao much to her amusement because of her rival's attitude.

* * *

**--At the Training Ground--**

"Say, Yuugao-san, weights on or off?" – Asked Naruto as he places his bag near a tree, while his kage bunshin did the same before dispelling.

"Off, I want to test my speed and strength against you and it wouldn't be fair on you if you had four gravity seals while I had only one on my body, now would it?"

"Now it wouldn't. Deactivate". – Said Naruto, as he stumbled a bit, seeing that he wasn't used to being light like he was now and it took him a little time to get used to it. Since Yuugao was in the same situation as Naruto, she got used to the feeling as well and Yuugao felt her muscles relax like they were like a while back.

Seeing as they both were ready, Yuugao took her sword and got in position for a fight, only to see Naruto taking two kunais and setting each one on each hands in a similar position as his taijutsu style, earning a smirk from Yuugao, since now she wasn't the only one who would do the cuttings and slashes.

"Oh, you noticed it, aren't you? It's just a theory I want to test. I read it in a book that kunai could be used together with the taijutsu style and since blocking your sword with my arms is nonsense, I plan to use both kunais together, but there is more to it than just kunais and you just have to see for yourself". – Said Naruto as he got into his taijutsu stance with his kunais in hand.

"I'm eager for this, Naruto-kun. Let's finish the talk and fight, shall we". – Said Yuugao as she vanished in thin air only to appear close to Naruto's side, swinging her sword from up to down in a diagonal move only for him to dodge the move and aim a swift kick towards Yuugao's legs just for her to do a back flip and get out of the way. After she landed, Naruto charged her with the kunais in front of him in a way to not let her attack him, while he charged to attack her, swiping one of the kunais up to her chest and the other keep protecting his vulnerable side, just for Yuugao to block the attack and hold Naruto's force which seemed to be stronger than the last time they fought. Using the height as an advantage, she pushed her sword, managing to take off Naruto's balance, making him jump back fearing a new slash from her sword.

Using the advantage, Yuugao turned to charge Naruto again with her sword, but this time with a vertical cut aiming his head but what she saw him do just her wide eyed. Naruto moved the two kunais in defensive position on top of his head, but the kunais were surrounded by some strange energy around them, which managed to defend the attack and held it in place. Upon contact, Yuugao instantly felt that the kunais were stronger than a while ago, when they almost broke. Utilizing Yuugao's lost in thoughts Naruto saw an opening and used a frontal kick kicking her stomach, sending her quite some distance.

As Yuugao got up, she took a look at Naruto's kunais and saw that she wasn't seeing things, his kunais were indeed glowing with some strange white energy. After, she witnessed Naruto doing some hand seals and prepared for the worse. Naruto was full of surprised and she was done underestimating him. She got ready to receive whatever jutsu he was throwing at him. Even though Naruto's chakra capacity was wide and the fact that he could do some high leveled jutsus, she thought that Naruto wouldn't know how to do high leveled ones, but she would sure regret.

"**Fuuton Daitoppa no Jutsu (**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu**)** – Screamed Naruto, as he exhaled a huge gust of wind, sending Yuugao flying towards a little river near the training ground. Yuugao hit the water and because of the hit, she was disoriented, so she was drowning fast. Naruto cursing himself because of the chakra he ended up using on the technique ran and dived inside the river in order to rescue her.

Now, even though Minato never taught him much, he did taught Naruto some basic skills with swimming being one of them. As he caught Yuugao, he swam as fast as he could, as he was running out of breath from using some of it for the fuuton technique. As he managed to get on the surface, he swam to the coast and rested Yuugao on the grass, scared of her in case she swallowed some water. But his worries ended when she coughed some water and opened her eyes, seeing Naruto's worried face looking at her. As she got up, memories immediately rushed back to her and she remembered Naruto exhaling a huge gust of wind, sending her flying.

"I'm sorry Yuugao-san, I used too much chakra on that technique, please forgive me. You could've died, I'm really sorry". – Said Naruto looking down in shame from instead of protecting others, he ended up hurting Yuugao. Yuugao for her part was astonished to see Naruto's reactions. _He is apologizing, what for? I was weak and lost the battle. Why is he apologizing to me?_

"Naruto-kun, why are you apologizing for? It was my fault I underestimated your jutsu, it was my fault and not yours. I want to appreciate you for saving me from drowning, here." – Said Yuugao as she gave a kiss on his cheek in appreciation, earning a blush from the blonde, but the shame didn't end.

"But…I wanted to become strong to protect others and I ended up hurting you an..." – Said Naruto but got interrupted by Yuugao who nodded her head.

"You did nothing wrong, you hear? You are becoming strong Naruto-kun. I'm sure as hell to never underestimate your growth. Now tell me what the hell were that glowing kunai and that jutsu of yours?" – Asked Yuugao.

"That was fuuton ninjutsu. I channeled fuuton chakra through the kunais, making them stronger and harder to break. As to the jutsu, it's called **Fuuton Daitoppa no Jutsu** and what it does, it's exactly what you saw. But since my chakra control isn't good yet, so I ended up using too much chakra". – Said Naruto as he was looking down, not at all wanting to face Yuugao after what he did to her, much to her annoyance, since he didn't do anything wrong.

"Naruto-kun, please look at me. You didn't do anything wrong. Now, it seems that you can control your element, while I'm having trouble with mine, so if you want to make it to me, help me learn how to do suiton ninjutsu. I've read the concept, but I can't seem to know how do actually do it. Do you have any suggestions?" – Asked Yuugao as Naruto was now looking at her, since he would be happy to help her in exchange for what he did to her.

"Well, elemental ninjutsu pretty much assembles the same characteristics as the element itself. Take wind for example, in order to feel it, I perform a certain kind of meditation and as I listen carefully to the wind travelling through the air and try to feel it. And you said yours is suiton, right? Well, let's try something, then. Go to the middle of the river and just meditate on top of the water surface".

"Is this your answer to everything Naruto-kun? Meditation?" – Scowled Yuugao slightly fuming at hearing yet again the blonde chatting about god damn meditation.

"You asked for suggestions, Yuugao-san. But if you don't want to listen to it, then fine with me, I have to take the bags home". – Mumbled Naruto as he was slightly angry at the purple haired kunoichi for asking for advices and then throw his advice downhill, leaving a slightly surprised and apologizing Yuugao behind.

"Wait Naruto-kun, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, please sorry. Now, what do I have to do while meditating on top of the water?" – Said Yuugao in a way of trying to convince the boy to help her, which for her happiness, he complied and turned his teacher mode, remembering general elements and theories.

"I happen to read once that in order to learn suiton ninjutsu, you have to become like the water. Powerful below the surface and plain calm on the surface. While you meditate on top of the water, try to hear the sound of the water current travelling, think of yourself as if you were the water itself." – Explained Naruto, earning some stares from Yuugao before she complied and set out for the river and sit in lotus position.

Naruto for his part took this opportunity to try water walking, as he slowly walked to where Yuugao was sitting in order to talk to her and guide her towards feeling the water. As he was getting close and not once did he fall, Yuugao was already closing her eyes while focusing on feeling the water just like Naruto said. She could hear the noise of the water while the wind was creating some little waves as it was passing. After a while, she could feel some water current below her since she was seated on water. Now, she was in a trance as she thought that time literally stopped around her, all she could feel was the noise that the water was emanating and some water current that was passing below her. She remembered reading on the scroll that in order to manipulate the water, one have to become a part of the water itself and she was getting the grasp of it. Now trying to manipulate the water, she did what the scroll said and focused chakra towards the water only to smile upon hearing a little typhoon being created around her. As she opened her eyes, she saw Naruto standing there clapping his hands commending her for her skills.

"It seemed that my suggestion worked after all, Yuugao-san, don't you agree? Hehehe" – Smiled Naruto, once again with the 'smart-ass' attitude, much to Yuugao's sudden smile on her face and surprisingly as well. She never like such attitude, but now she saw Naruto smiling, she couldn't help but wonder that was more to Naruto than the eyes let on.

"It seems so, Naruto-kun. Thanks I appreciate. Now, I must go to the training ground, I'm twenty minutes late and my team must been waiting for me".

"Okay, then Yuugao-san, good luck with the suiton and next time, I would like to see some elemental jutsus, okay?" – Said Naruto as he raced towards the sacks, while making a kage bunshin in order to carry the other one, leaving a smiling Yuugao who was waving goodbye for her now respected rival.

"Okay, Naruto-kun I will" – Said Yuugao as she turned to the other side, travelling towards the training ground.

* * *

**--With team 2--**

Genma and Kurenai were already pounding over the fact that Yuugao was late and she was never late. Even though only passed twenty minutes since they arrived, they were worried about the purple haired kunoichi since she was the one who always got here first, even before their sensei, who by the way was already there for forty minutes now.

Just when the thought of looking for the kenjutsu prodigy, said one had just appeared, apologizing for being late. As she explained what happened between her and Naruto, they all got looks on their faces wondering about if Yuugao only considered him a rival of something else entirely. Yuugao managed to catch what the silence met and made it known to them that he was a rival and nothing more.

"Heh, even though he's really cute for a kid, we're only rivals, okay. On our fight, I got distracted and he launched me a fuuton ninjutsu, sending me flying and landing on the river, being unconscious for a while. He saved me and then I asked him about advice in nature manipulation".

Deciding to leave it at that, team 2 went to the Hokage to pick some missions for them. They had been training very hard because of the upcoming chunnin exams that would be held in Konoha two months from today. Every single one of them was ecstatic to upgrade to chunnin and Aoba could very well see their eagerness to progress.

* * *

**--At**** the Namikaze's compound--**

After a while, Naruto and the clone arrived at the Namikaze Compound, greeting Kushina and Minato who by the way was having lunch alone with his wife. Naruto not wanting to ruin the couple's little date, went up to his room, rested the bags on his bed and did the one thing he has been eager to do. Learn a new jutsu.

So he picked the book, which after recognizing the fuuton affinity, opened it and let Naruto read its contents. As he was reading some introductory notes about fuuton jutsu, he came across a page which stated that fuuton ninjutsu do not only serve to create winds or intensify them. Fuuton ninjutsu can also create razor winds, similar to what a sword does, but only chakra. As he was reading more, the book stated that to be able to use fuuton chakra to do cuts and slashes, it was necessary to do a different training than the one required to create or to control the wind. Naruto came across an exercise in which the ninja had to cut a leaf in half just focusing on fuuton chakra. But since Naruto wanted to learn a defensive fuuton ninjutsu, he went to the page where the daitoppa was located, only to see below, a technique **fuuton shouheki no jutsu (**Wind Style: Wind Barrier Jutsu**).**

'_fuuton shouheki no jutsu__' (C-rank) - the ninja create a wind barrier which push away every jutsu that comes near the protective barrier, except from katon attacks, that when in contact with the barrier, there is a huge explosion since wind intensify the flames'._

"Well, since most of the people here has katon affinity, it wouldn't be wise to use against them, but with other attacks, it can be useful. Says here that in order to create the wind barrier, one has to focus on fuuton ninjutsu through both hands and swing them, being one clockwise and the other the opposite direction".

Not wasting any further, he went downstairs to the garden where he landed his book and put a rock on top of it, so for the wind not to blow it away. After that, he close his eyes and started to focus on channeling fuuton chakra through both his hands at the same time. According to the book, the chakra for each hand must be equal so he was channeling both of them constantly.

While he was trying, a little audience stepped out of the balcony and decided to just watch the wind prodigy while he closes his eyes and focus. Minato was eager to see what jutsu his son would be learning now and Kushina was watching in amazement since she didn't saw her son doing fuuton ninjutsus. The only thing she saw was the destruction that came after it.

"Minato-kun, just what is Naruto doing right now? Is it fuuton ninjutsu, how could he learn something so complex?" – Asked Kushina. She was a stranger to battle jutsus, Kushina was a medic before she had Naruto and she had a little retirement but only until Naruto was fit to fetch for himself and she would come back to the hospital. Kushina was second only to Tsunade of the sannin on the field of medicine.

"Kushina-chan, Naruto learned on his own. According to him, he said that he bought a book which has been teaching him. You saw the results of his jutsu that time, didn't you?" – Said Minato, earning some scowling from Kushina who wanted nothing more than to punish the little infant for destroying her hope of a garden. "I told him to learn a defensive jutsu next time, but since I don't know much about fuuton ninjutsu, I don't know which jutsu he's trying to learn".

Minato and Kushina were watching their son do his fifth try at the jutsu, but to no avail. It seemed Naruto was waving his hands in opposite rotation, but nothing would come out of it. After a while, Kushina was going to ask her son if he needed anything, but Minato stopped her, telling her that this time he was going to make it. True to his believes, after Naruto rotated both hands, two typhoons appeared side by side, which seemed to be blocking any frontal attacks from him. "Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu".

Kushina was wide eyed from the force of the wind that came to them as she was struggling to hold her feet to the ground. Because the typhoons were close to the couple, the force of it came right back at them, having both of them channel chakra through their feet to hold on the ground. Naruto kept the typhoons spinning for a while and to the parent's surprise, their son seemed to intensify the spinning of the typhoons, increasing the velocity and the force of the wind, taking Kushina off the ground only to be hold by Minato who by the way was covering his eyes because of the intensity of the wind blowing through his eyes. After two more minutes, Naruto dispersed the typhoons, sweating like a pig from using so much chakra on the technique, but he did it nonetheless. He just needed more control in order to hold more time.

As he turned towards the house, his eyes locked with Minato's and Kushina's and grinned nervously upon seeing their hair all messed up and look of awe on their faces. "Sorry there folks, I..I didn't know you guys would be out here". – Said Naruto scratching his head, waiting for the punishment which surprisingly never came.

"Son, it appeared to me that you have a natural affinity for fuuton ninjutsu. I fought countless suna ninjas and none of them came close to intensifying the technique after doing it. And the speed was really something. You managed to blow your mother off the ground, ahahha. Quite an ability there, son" – Said Minato, smiling towards his wife, who was scowling her husband for thinking less about her abilities, but nevertheless Kushina thought as well that Naruto had a natural affinity for wind.

"Once again, I'm sorry. But I need more chakra control exercises. I'll head for the lake tou-san, kaa-san. If I manage to master the water walking exercise, I could go to fuuton chakra control exercises". – Said Naruto as he was eager to learn more as the time comes, much to his parent's dismay, since they concluded that the boy needed some time off and they mean pronto.

"Naruto-kun, wait for the water walking exercise, until after the first year of the academy. Practice some physical skills, get stronger, more stamina and enhance your chakra capacity. Try to not overexert yourself with elemental ninjutsu. I promise you that by the time after the first year of the academy, you'll be able to do B-ranked ninjutsus".

"But…B-ranked ninjutsu. Really?" – Hook, line and sinker. Actually, Minato at first overestimated his son's abilities, but right now what they needed to do was to calm their son a little bit, slow down the pace a little bit.

"Really, Naruto with the pace you are right now, after some time at the academy, you sure will be able to learn more tough jutsus. Now, let's head inside and have a little snack, all this exercise of yours made me hungry, let's go".

"You are hungry? I was the one who wasted a lot of chakra doing the fuuton ninjutsu, I bet that I eat more than you do". – Said Naruto challenging his father to an eating contest.

"Son, I believe that a ramen contest is in order, what do you say?" – Said Minato, before seeing the fire of determination in Naruto's eyes and he wondered if his pockets would get out alive out of the contest.

"You're on tou-san. Race there"

"Ok, then. Ready set go"

"**Fuuton Sunshin no Jutsu (**Wind Style: Body Flicker Jutsu**)"**– Screamed Naruto before a typhoon engulfed him and he disappeared afterwards.

"**Hiraishin no Jutsu (**Flight of the Thunder God Technique**)" – **Said Minato throwing the special kunai towards the direction of the place and vanished in a yellow flash.

Kushina for her part was once again dumbstruck with the display of abilities that father and son was developing. Other thought in her mind was pounding about who would win, the speed of the wind (Naruto) or the speed of a flash (Minato). Even though Kushina knew that her husband would arrive at the place much faster, she still was amazed that Naruto was growing up just like his father in speed.

* * *

**--At the ramen place--**

Teuchi and his 10 year old daughter Ayame was currently working at the ramen stand, today was a calm day with little movement. They have been here in Konoha since Naruto was born (six years ago) and even though the client's list was not big enough, they managed to survive. Every once in a while, the village's hokage came by to have a few bowls of ramen which managed to rise the place's reputation for a little bit. After saying goodbye to the last customer, Teuchi and Ayame suddenly saw a yellow flash approaching and sitting on one of the sits. Surprisingly enough, it was the hokage again with his infamous jutsu who turned him famous around the shinobi world.

"Ah, Hokage-sama how are you this afternoon, what would you like to have?" – Greed Teuchi, smiling to the village leader.

"I am expecting company Teuchi-san, after he arrives, we'll order". – Said Minato turning around when he sensed the fuuton chakra approaching which could only be his son arriving pretty quick for a shunshin.

Teuchi and Ayame for their part thught the hokage was losing his mind. When he turned around and said that he was here, they didn't see anyone and were beginning to think that the hokage needed some vacations, when suddenly a gust of wind approached the bench, blowing Teuchi and Ayame to the floor because of it as well as blowing a grinning Minato's hair with great force.

"Tou-san, when did you arrive?" – Asked Naruto, after dispelling the little tornado and came to seat at the bench near his father's.

"A couple of minutes ago, don't worry, you're pretty fast son, a regular shunshin would take longer to arrive, but with the aid of fuuton, you managed to arrive earlier than I expected, now Teuchi-san, we would…." – Said Minato, but appeared to be talking to no one, since both of them were on the ground because of Naruto's gust of wind. "Sorry Yondaime-sama, I was on the ground, this is your son, he looks just like you. What's your name little fellow?"

"Namikaze Naruto, nice to meet you Teuchi-san". – Said Naruto greeting the ramen owner, much to Teuchi's delight.

"Nice to meet you Naruto, say what will the Namikaze duo have to eat?" – Asked Teuchi holding a little note to take the orders, but little did he know that today would be the day that he wouldn't have to worry about economic or financial issues.

"10 miso ramens for me and 10 shrimp ramens for my son here". – Said Minato, earning a smile from his son and a one minute stare from Teuchi and his daughter who was pondering over her head wondering how the hell could a child eat 10 bowls of ramen, but since this meant they would have enough money for at least two months, they complied and started making ramen.

"Coming right up".

"So, tell me son, are you eager to go to the academy?" – Asked Minato, drinking some tea while waiting for the order to arrive.

"I sure am. Neji is going as well and I really want to learn more jutsus and stuff. I want to learn more and become stronger to protect myself and to protect other in the future". – Mumbled Naruto, before zipping his tea.

"Hehehe, hold on a minute son, don't be so hasty, you'll be a really strong shinobi, no need to hurry. Son, power is good, but experience is better. If you want to be strong, you have to come in terms with the fact that with experience, you'll learn to adapt your jutsus and fighting skills in battle. Try spending some time in physical skills. Taijutsu and Kenjutsu are the first way to battle, jutsu are to be used strategically. A jutsu contest is no way a fight, it's just shows the enemy that you can mold chakra, you need skills, you need attack patterns. Jutsus isn't the only thing a ninja has to be strong in". – Lectured Minato as Naruto was paying attention from the lecture of the most experienced shinobi in Konoha.

"You have a lot of ninja abilities that do not concern the use of jutsus. Stealth, agility, taijutsu, deceiving, survival skills. All of these are important for a ninja to have, without them, you are nothing. Remember this son, train your senses better. Intuition is what keep us alive on the battlefield".

"I understand, Tou-san. I seemed to stop of the 4x gravity seal when I could've rised to 5x by now. It has been a long time since I don't meditate. I've already know three elemental ninjutsu already, I think I'll stop now so I can have a better grasp of my other skills. Also I intend to fight 5 kage bunshins instead of four". – Said Naruto, before the ten bowls appeared in front of them and the contest began.

"Right son, that's the spirit. Now, the one who manage to eat 10 bowls faster, win the contest, ready? Teuchi-san, could you mark the time for us please?" – Said Minato beginning the challenge. "GO" – Screamed Teuchi as he watched father and son digging through the bowls like maniacs.

After twenty minutes and thirty one seconds, Minato was first with Naruto 10 seconds after. Teuchi and Ayame were smiling at what seemed two fat people trying to get out of the bench after the yondaime emptied his pockets. Naruto and Minato decided to just rest on a nearby tree, as well as wait for their metabolism to process the food. They fell asleep much to Teuchi's smile upon seeing father resting on the tree with his son resting on his father's legs.

Meanwhile, a certain lazy jounin was passing by and was greeted with quite a view, Minato and Naruto passing out after some ramen. Kakashi smiled at the scene and continued walking, while mumbling something like 'like father like son'.

* * *

**--Academy day--**

Naruto woke up, feeling his blood boil of excitement. Today will be first day of the academy and he was eager to learn more. After the ramen contest, Naruto started to focus more on other skills, training in agility with a 5x gravity seal as well be able to fight 5 kage bunshins at the same time. Doing his morning preparations which included shower, breakfast, change of clothes, he got out of the compound and started jumping rooftops straight for the academy. On the way, he spotted Yuugao on top of the lake, making little whirlpools around her and he couldn't help but smile at that.

As he arrived, he came across a wide building with ninja academy written at the door. By now, he couldn't contain himself and was now trembling with excitement. As he entered, he turned to a list of names written on a board which happen to show the classroom list. Upon inspection, Naruto saw his name and saw Neji and Tentei's name as well. They were going to be on the same class.

After asking for directions, he climbed some stairs and now was standing in front of the designated classroom. As he entered, he managed to see two people inside in what appeared to be a couple, talking with each other almost whispering as some blushes appeared on each other's faces. The guy seems to be a chunnin because of the vest and has a vertical scar on top of his noise. The woman used a trench coat and some leg protectors that looked similar to the ones used by Anbu personnel. Naruto was studying the scene before him with much curiosity, when the girl who responded by the name of Mitarashi Anko caught a glimpse at the blonde who was watching them dirty talk to each other and instantly separated from Iruka as he as well saw the blonde, who was the Hokage's son.

"I'm very sorry Naruto-sama, I didn't know you were there, I apologize". – Said Iruka as he low his head almost touching the ground, much to Anko and Naruto's dismay and slightly pissed off. Anko for her part, was seeing the man she loved bowing without the need for and Naruto was fuming already, since his fears proved to be correct after all. Naruto wondered how people would treat him, because of who his father was and upon seeing the chunnin bow to him, he was angered to no end.

"Please, do not treat me as if I was the hokage, because I'm not. I hate when people show favoritism to me because of my father. If you are this class's teacher, I request that you treat me just like anybody else, no more no less. Now, it seems that I arrived early, so if none of you would mind, I'll be taking a seat and wait". – Said Naruto still fuming but now less than before. Anko and Iruka for their part, was looking at the boy in front of him and wondered about what he said. Anko was smiling towards the gaki for showing a humble display, while Iruka was starting to like the kid.

Naruto picked a chair on the third row to the left and picked his fuuton book to read. Since he already learned the water walking even though he didn't master, he wanted to know more about cutting the leaf with chakra. The information was still clouded for him, since this type of fuuton ninjutsu not only required fuuton control but also managing to cut objects as well. Anko upon seeing him flipping the pages of his book, remembered Yuugao talking about him and what he managed to accomplish so far. Anko was amazed to hear about the gravity seal and how much it helped Yuugao's chakra reserves to expand.

"So tell me gaki, you are Yuugao-chan's rival, yes?" – Asked Anko as she was already side by side with him.

"Oh you know Yuugao-san, yes we are rivals. She is very good with kenjutsu and every time we spar, she wins. There was one time I won but that was because she underestimated me and fell into my fuuton jutsu. But if she was serious, she could kick my ass to the ground, I always wondered why me of all people though, she is certainly more experienced than me and there are more capable shinobis than me to fill in the role of Yuugao's rival".

"Well, from what I heard from her, you're quite an adversary. She told me that you send her flying with your jutsu. Trust me, Yuugao isn't the one who waist time with people that are weak, she is the daughter of the legendary Anbu swordsmen after all, his will passed to her. What you reading?" – Asked Anko as she tried to pick the book only to see it closing like is had a mind of his own.

"Sorry, it's a fuuton ninjutsu book, he only responds to shinobi with fuuton affinity". – Said Naruto, picking the book back from Anko's hand.

"So, you have fuuton affinity. Huh? Iruka-kun, give me one of the chakra papers you will be distributing to the academy students, I somehow sense that fuuton isn't your only affinity. Thank you Iruka". – Thanked Anko, after Iruka handed her the paper.

"What are you talking about? Me? More than one affinity? Lady, I'm six, how the hell can I have more than one affinity. A jounin would have two affinities in order to pass the jounin exams, I'm only an academy student starting today I might add, it's not possible that I have more than one affinity." – Explained Naruto, while remembering about shinobi ranks and what's required of each of them.

"We'll see about that. This is a chakra paper. This baby can see what chakra affinity you have, channel chakra though this paper and let's see what happens, don't worry about favoritism, the new academy system will be like this, we will be checking elemental affinities once each six months to see what they are and show them the respective jutsus and theories about. Anyway, the hokage will come and explain in much further detail, so in the mean time, channel chakra thought the paper".

"Ok, then, but I can tell you, the paper will only split in half, since I only have fuuton affinity". – Said Naruto as he channeled chakra through the paper, so that Anko and now Iruka who needed to see this as well in order to write his affinities down in a report so as to plan the jutsu teaching at the third year of the academy.

Naruto, Anko and Iruka were paying attention to the paper when it sliced in half, true to Naruto's words. But what appeared next left a wide-eyed Naruto, a grinning Anko and a dumbstruck Iruka. The two halves of the paper crumbled, showing that Naruto indeed possess two affinities, fuuton and raiton. Naruto was staring at the paper in discredit, how he could have two affinities, the books that he read only displayed two affinities in at least chunnins and he was an academy student for cry out loud. Anko for her part was screaming in her mind for not only getting to teach the one who managed to get Yuugao's attention, but also an academy student with two extremely powerful and offensive affinities. Iruka was seeing the look of pleasure that Anko was displaying and was little bit scared of her. Because of that look, something happened and it wasn't nice.

"Gaki, right now, you got my attention. You can call me Anko-sensei and the scarred guy here is Iruka-sensei. We will be the teachers for this class. Now, it seemed that the infants are arriving so we'll start the class after the Hokage comes and explain some rules and guides regarding the new academy. So for now, just wait".

After a while, the other students arrived and Neji was among them. Upon arriving he saw Naruto looking at the window and turned to sit next to him. Naruto for his part was deep in thought, he was actually cursing his stupidity for no reason apparently, he was insisting on his only affinity because of his book and the fact that it resonated to him, but he never got to think about a second affinity and the fact that he could be already practicing his raiton affinity. He was feeling like he was wasted time, since he was eager to learn new stuff and be able to protect himself as well as others. When Neji called up to him, he took a while and turned to look at the two people sitting beside him was Neji and Tenten.

"Hi Neji, sorry there, I was lost in thoughts. How've you been?" – Asked Naruto, still thinking about his raiton affinity and the fact that he pretty much wasted his time only focusing on fuuton affinity.

"I've been fine, except for this girl here who keep following me around, she's quite annoying if you ask me. You're here early, I went by your house and you was already out coming here, eager to come here, I assume. I can't wait for our next spar, I want to show you some moves I learned from my father". – Said Neji, earning a scowling Tenten who was by this point having a little crush at the hyuuga prodigy and right now was thinking twice about it and Naruto who this time were smirking at the challenge set by Neji.

"Don't worry Neji, I got some tricks as well. We'll see whose skills are better Neji. Now Tentei, I see you joined the academy as well, huh? That's nice. I was actually scared of the way people would treat me since who my father is, but seeing that you two treat me normally, I am more at ease with such subject".

"I wanted to join last year but my father convinced me to join this year, something about take it slow, I don't know, anyway it seems that those two at the front must be our senseis then." – Stated Tentei, getting nods from Neji and Naruto.

"Yep, since I arrived earlier, I was introduced to them, the chunnin is called Umino Iruka and the coat woman is called Mitarashi Anko. They are the senseis of this class. They said that my father would come and explain a new set of rules concerning a new academy, wonder what could be though?" – Asked Naruto, who got his answer upon sensing his father approaching using the hiraishin, much to his dismay, mumbling something about 'showoff'.

Minato upon arriving greeted everyone who by the time he arrived all of the people present greeted him with respect and he came to see his son smiling at him, calling him 'hokage-sama'. Minato was a little surprised since his son never called him like that, but he sighed thinking he now would only call him tou-san when in private. Naruto grew, not liking the treatment he was getting because of he was the son of the hokage. After taking a look at the academy students, he turned to explain the new academy settings.

"So, let us begin since I must talk with the class in front of yours. All you academy students are the first of a new and improved academy. Now, the new academy will involve a four year period, instead of six years like before, the reason is simple, back then two years was mainly focused on Konoha's history and some introductions like chakra notion and chakra molding, with two years of basic shinobi skills like taijutsu and weapon practice following one year with E ranked jutsus and the last one to revise what was learned through the course. Now this time, is going to be one year of history and introduction, one year with taijutsu, physical exercises and weapon practice, followed by one year with chakra control and E-C ranked ninjutsus. On the fourth year will be elemental ninjustu class. I'm sure some of you are looking at me like I grew a second hand, the theory will be explained along the course and once every six months your senseis here would check everyone of you in order to see the chakra affinity until the last year comes. Once we found one of you already has a certain affinity, it will be reported and afterwards, we will divide the class in each of the affinities, according to your affinity. Now, on weekends, you are going to be doing some D-ranked missions which basically are low level duties to the village. This will be in order to test some teamwork from you guys, so at the designated time, we are to gather teams of three in order to see who works better with who. The reason for this is when you graduate; each team will be later formed team of genins with jounin-senseis according to their specialty. Now that's all, any questions?" – Asked Minato as he finished explaining, only to see one female student raising her hand wanting to ask a question.

"Hokage-sama, what would happen if anyone, by the end of the third year, do not have an elemental affinity?" – Asked a black haired girl, pretty much what the Hokage hoped someone would ask.

"Well, if that happens and trust me sometimes it does, we'll be giving extra-training for such person so that he or she can manifest one affinity. Do not worry guys, your senseis will explain better, but every shinobi has at least one type of affinity, there are exceptions who are born with two affinities, but everyone has a certain affinity". – Answered Minato, only to have Iruka whisper at his ear, saying that one of the student in the class aleady made the chakra paper test and had two affinities, which left a wide-eyed Minato who looked in surprise at the chunnin, much to Naruto's dismay and slight anger from the fact that the damn chunnin pretty much told his father about his raiton affinity.

"Well, that's all. Good luck to everyone and we'll see in four years when you become genin and start you shinobi lives". – Said Minato before vanishing in a yellow flash, again receiving mumbles from his son about 'damn cheater, winning the race with a S ranked jutsu'.

After Minato was gone, Iruka turned to greet the class and welcome them. Iruka was to be the theory teacher and Anko would be the practice teacher. At the first year, they would divide between Konoha's history and chakra introduction which incorporated hand signs and chakra molding. On the second year, Anko would take them outside pretty much every day showing them how to throw kunais and shurikens, as well as train each other physically and teaching them the academy taijutsu which stayed the same except for the ones who learned the family's style. On the third year, they would be learning jutsu theory and jutsu practice as each one would receive a list with some jutsus which will serve as homework to be completed until the end of the year. On the fourth year, the class will be separated into five groups, since there were five affinities and each of the group would be taught by jounins according to the affinity. Upon hearing this, Naruto decided to ask his teachers after class about the fact that he had two affinities and how would he be doing this.

Since the first day was only introduction and explanations, everyone was dismissed and Naruto decided to stay a little bit to ask his teachers about his two affinities.

"Anko-sensei, Iruka-sensei, if the class will be divided into five groups, what about me?" – Asked Naruto to their senseis who were thinking deeply at the blonde's question. After a while, Iruka smiled and stated that Naruto would have to be in two places at once, much to Naruto and Anko's dismay since they were expecting at least a valid answer. Well Naruto was, since Anko was pretty much a teacher as well, but she couldn't answer the question.

"Great. Now I have to work more on kage bunshins, then. Say…" – Said Naruto but was interrupted by Anko and Iruka who was looking at him questionably, since the kage bunshin was supposed to be a jounin level technique.

"Naruto, what did you say kage bunshin for? Surely you couldn't be able to do it, you are only an academy student and the kage bunshin is a jounin level technique". – Asked Iruka, leaving Naruto no option but to show them the technique instead of trying to convince them that he can do the jutsu. **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.**

With that, two Narutos appeared by the real one and they all spoke in unison _'So, you still don't believe me yet', _making them both open their jaws a little bit from seeing a six year old managing such a feat. It seemed that the answer to Naruto's question would be to use kage bunshin and hope not to call attention upon him. After that, he left his teachers and went towards his house but still worrying about the time he seemed to have wasted.

* * *

**--At Namikaze Compound--**

As he arrived home, he went straight to his room to lay down a bit. He was feeling strange, normally he would feel extremely happy for having a secondary affinity for lightning but somehow he was sad from wasting time when he could be learning how to use raiton before the academy. Naruto always fetched for himself and when he couldn't he would ask someone, but that rarely happened since he wanted to get it right and asking for help was literally his last resort.

Since it was already late at night, Naruto changed clothes, putting some pijamas and heading to bed, not once stopped thinking about how to feel towards his new discovery. Meanwhile, Minato arrived from work and went straight to Naruto's room congratulate him on the news he got from Naruto's teacher. Having a son with two affinities at such a young age can make every father proud of his son, Minato was remembering how much his son trained up to no end and here he got the reward for such effort. Upon arriving at the room, Minato was surprised to see a Naruto deep in wondering and was a little taken aback. For all he knew about his son, being a shinobi was his life and the knowledge of a second affinity would send him up the sky in joy, but this Naruto was different. Worried, he turned to see what was wrong.

"Naruto-kun, are you okay? You seem to be wondering about something, what is it?"

"Oh, Tou-san, it's just that as you know, I became aware of my second affinity but now I'm in a mixture between happy and sad. Happy of course because of my affinity and sad because if I knew before, I could already learn it, it seemed like I wasted my time, I don't know". – Said Naruto, earning surprise looks from Minato since Naruto didn't know that Minato knew about his raiton affinity, but was slightly angry at his son since for some reason, the boy just couldn't be still for one second. It seemed that learning new things daily was like an addiction to the little Namikaze and it worried him a little bit.

"Naruto-kun, stop that right now. Stop thinking you are wasting time, you're only six for cry out loud. You are strong I assure you but if you continue like this you'll go crazy. Please try to make your body and mind adjust to your experience. If you try yourself too much, you'll become unstable. By slowing down a little bit, you can adjust what you learned as well as have a normal growth. Now that you have the academy, you don't need to set your own pace, follow the academy strictly, the first year is theory only, give your body some rest. Of course practice like two or three times a week. It's great you have two affinities, but it would be no good if you rush into things. Mastering two affinities is what guarantees a shinobi to rise to jounin, so you can see why it's hard to master two elements. You already mastered fuuton, so for the meantime, just harness the abilities you already mastered, maybe advance each step at a month."

"Tou-san, I always fetched for myself. It would be difficult to learn it from another person. The only one who taught me was Aoba-sensei."

"So, think of it as picking up where Aoba stopped, then. Leave for Anko and Iruka to teach you and mold you into a perfect and well-round shinobi. They told me you have a lot of potential son, so try to not over do, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Tou-san. I appreciate it."

"Get some rest Naruto. Meditate some time as well. It helps to clear your mind". – Said Minato as he turned off Naruto's light for the infant to fall asleep instantly.A little before closing his eyes, Naruto decided to have a pace of one day of training and two days off, so as to rest a bit.

* * *

**--One year time skip--**

Naruto now at the second year of the academy was greatly improving his skills as well as settle down a bit. After his conversation with his father, Naruto vowed to train once each three days outside the academy and was making progress at a steady pace. Now, Naruto's chakra control greatly improved, being able to fight a kage bunshin on top of the water for a whole hour before stopping and meditate some time. By now, Naruto nailed the cutting leaf exercise and had already learned one fuuton ninjutsu which involved piercing through objects. The one is called **Fuuton Kazeya no Jutsu****3****. **With this, Naruto could create an arrow made of wind and propel it in towards the opponent just like an actual arrow.

At the academy, Naruto aced the final test which resolved around some historical facts that changed Konoha's history since its foundation. While he wasn't the sharpest mind of the bunch, he could very well be the second, only losing to a certain red-head girl who pretty much looked more like a like a scientist than a future kunoichi. The academy was fun. Around some time during Iruka's lectures, Anko herself had fallen asleep because of it, earning some laughs from the class who by now already saw how Iruka's lectures were boring and endless.

On weekends, his team consisting on Neji and Tentei was already becoming a good one with exceptional teamwork with Neji as a close ranged fighter, Naruto for mid-range and Tentei for close and long-distance since kenjutsu and fire (her affinity) were her abilities.

Outside of the academy, Yuugao and Naruto fought nearly once a week. It was because of Naruto, that Yuugao managed to pass the chunnin exams together with Genma and Kurenai. Because of their spar, Yuugao managed to integrate her suiton jutsus in a deadly combination with her kenjutsu, having Naruto to resort to dodge and evade the jutsus, while defending against the kenjutsu strikes with the duo kunai channeled with fuuton chakra. But this time, Naruto and Yuugao were moving much faster and with much synchronization that they seemed to be dancing around each other. Yuugao had already evolved to the 3x gravity seal while Naruto was on 6x since the beginning of the year. From time to time, Naruto and Yuugao started doing more things than just train together, sometimes they were seen picking up some books at the library and Yuugao would appear from time to time at Naruto's house for breakfast, since she become acquainted to Naruto's mother, Kushina as well.

Yuugao's knowledge in jutsus, now reached Naruto's level since she as well knew three suiton ninjutsu. **Suiton Ame no Jutsu, Suiton Suijinheki no Jutsu****4**** and Suiton Mizu Taihou no Jutsu****5****, **being the last one, her triumph key to pass the chunnin exams against a suna genin at the championship finals.

Also they were a little improvement on Naruto and Yuugao's referring to each other. One time, Naruto unconsciously said Yuugao-chan and already covered his mouth since he knew back there that Yuugao was a teasing master and just loved to see the results at the blonde. Even today, she managed to get to him by teasing him and making him red in embarrassment from it. He remembered one time that his face was blood red from what Yuugao said to him.

**Flashback on**

Naruto and Yuugao were sparing against each other while activating their gravity seals. They were fighting on equal terms when Naruto lost his ground and ended up falling on top of his rival in what could be described as a 'third base' position. Yuugao being the teasing master that she was, just couldn't let this opportunity pass.

"Wow, Naruto-kun, I didn't know you had it in you to do something like this. Next time, warn me though". – Said Yuugao with a mischievous voice, making Naruto literally jump away of embarrassment, since he didn't realize at the time that he was on top of her.

"I'm sorry Yuugao-san, I king of lost my footings back there and lost balance". – Spoke Naruto like he did something wrong and was going to receive punishment for being in that position with her.

**Flashback off**

Right now, he was learning target practice with kunais and shurikens, but as his kunais were literally passing through the trees instead of sticking to it, everyone who saw it was wondering what the hell was going on, except from his team who by now knew what were the blonde's abilities with fuuton ninjutsu. After that, the class would begin physical workout in a way to create some muscles as well as expand chakra capacity. They did this routine three times a week with the other two for jutsu theory.

Since Naruto already know the E ranked ones and some D's like **shunshin no jutsu** and **shuriken kage bunshin no jutsu**, he only needed to practice them, passing easily the test of the second year which included hitting 7 of 10 kunai on target, 7 of 10 shurikens at a distance of 50 feet of the target, as well as a written test about theory regarding E ranked jutsus.

* * *

**--Time Skip one year--**

**--At the Hokage's office--**

Namikaze Minato was taking a look at the success rate of the academy and to say he was relieved it would be an understatement, he knew that the new training could be very beneficial to the students so they can be better at doing missions by improving the mind and body to such a level. So far from the sixty academy students who entered the classrooms, only five either quit or couldn't keep up with the rhythm. Now, upon looking at the charts of the individuals, the academy selected some favorite students, Neji was the top of the class in taijutsu with the jyuuken, Tentei was the best at weapons and Naruto was the best at ninjutsu, these three showed promise as a genin team. Also a good news was that all of the classmates had already discovered each one's affinities and so there would be no need for more training in case one of them wouldn't develop an affinity. According to the chart, three academy students had two affinities with being Naruto with being fuuton and ruiton, a bright kid by the name of Hirama Fujikawa had katon and doton and an Uchiha Makoto who had katon and suiton.

Minato was a little worried about his son at the moment. Even though he learned how to settle down and take a steady pace, with the fourth year approaching, Naruto would no doubt focus all his attention on the raiton, since the fuuton he pretty much was toe to toe with any suna chunnin at the moment. He remembered Naruto's eight birthday, when he got a gift from Sarutobi Asuma. Being a wind user as well as adapt the use of two kunais for taijutsu, Asuma bought knifes similar to his own as a gift for Naruto. To say that Naruto was happy was an understatement, he was thrilled. The kunais couldn't take too much chakra before they break or rotten with use, but these knifes were made of a more resistant metal.

Needless to say some trees were cut along Konoha with fuuton chakra. Also Naruto learned a deadly fuuton technique called **Fuuton Kaze no Yaiba (**Wind Style: Wind Sword Jutsu**)** which pretty much created a sword made of wind and caused deep wounds to the opponent.

* * *

**--At the academy--**

Naruto was approaching the academy to initiate his last year at the academy and he couldn't get happier at the moment. Along the academy, he and Neji fought pretty much every week to see who the better fighter was. Right now, it was 51 for Neji and 50 for Naruto. Since the fight counted any shinobi ability, Naruto managed to integrate some fuuton techniques together with his father's taijutsu stance, managing some damage at the hyuuga prodigy. One time, both of them were so injured that the entire classroom needed to end their sessions so Anko and Iruka could take them to the hospital.

Anko and Iruka for their part, has been in a relationship since the beginning of the third year and both of them were happy to teach this kids to perfection. The academy students were very good and were able to learn pretty much everything both of them could teach. Now, with the fourth year coming, their jobs would end. Since the last year would be elemental ninjutsu, the hokage divided the classroom into five elemental groups with a jounin for each group to teach elemental manipulation. So, Iruka decided to try the jounin exams while Anko returned to torture and interrogation department together with Ibiki.

Now with Naruto, as he was approaching the academy door, he noticed that something was out of place, the building was strangely black instead of white and thunders were ripping the skies in a scary succession. Naruto looked behind to see the trees moving as if he suddenly was in a nightmare or something like that. Naruto sighed since he knew Kurenai was out there testing her new acquired genjutsu technique called **Magen Narakumi no Jutsu (**Illusion Technique: Hell View Jutsu**)**. Closing his eyes in focus, he made a specific hand seal and "KAI". Now, Naruto was surrounded by a burning academy and was slighty perturbed. He thought he dispelled the genjutsu but this one was so real, it was like being trapped inside a ball of fire and the feeling was similar as well. He didn't know that Kurenai did the first as a distraction for him and then test her newest genjutsu called **Magen Jigoku Gouka no Jutsu (**Illusion Technique: Hell Fire Jutsu**).** Seeing that Naruto wouldn't dispel the technique, she dispelled it, showing herself and Yuugao in front of a little frightened Naruto who by this time thought he was burning to death, only to look again and see Kurenai and Yuugao smiling at him, each of them wearing chunnin vests.

"Kurenai-san, how did you this? I thought I dispelled the genjutsu, what happened?" – Asked Naruto, seeing the result of a double-layered genjutsu used on him.

"You did dispel the first one, but I casted the second one quickly, so you didn't notice it. You need to prepare better for genjutsu Naruto. I know that such material isn't covered by the academy from lack of time, but you need to learn how to be able to sense a genjutsu no matter how real it seems to be". – Said Kurenai smiling at Naruto's effort from dispelling the first one and the fact that disabling two genjutsus repeatedly was pretty tough to do. The ninja would have to know about the technique in order to know it was an illusion. Naruto for his part was like a guinea pig for Kurenai to test her genjutsu. For her it would be to practice for real missions and Naruto to get familiarized with the techniques so to be able to dispel them.

"That was low Kurenai-chan. Naruto-kun, this is your last year, right? Soon, you'll be on missions outside Konoha. If your enthusiasm is as big as mine I would say you're having trouble controlling yourself, aren't you?" – Asked Yuugao, now having a friendship more than rivalry.

"I sure am Yuugao-chan. This year, my second affinity will appear. I've been waiting too long to train in raiton and I want to start training in it and learning techniques". – Said Naruto, practically punching the air in excitement, much to the girl's happiness, since seeing Naruto like this, always made them smile even in tough situations. Naruto somehow had a power that he could tranquilize pretty much everyone in Konoha. He somehow emitted an aura which resonated around him, making everyone at ease. What no one knows is that Naruto is currently training his fuuton affinity as he was speaking with the ladies, by resonating fuuton chakra around him in such a calm manner, resulting in a light breeze around him being able to cool everyone's problems away.

"Well, Naruto-kun we are late for team meeting, so take care okay?" – Said Kurenai before waving Naruto goodbye and leaving with Yuugao towards the exit.

Naruto upon seeing them, felt something that he couldn't describe yet. His chest was tight and his heart seemed to tell him something. But since Naruto was only nine years old, he wouldn't know what this feeling was. But he managed to know that involved those two. Over the years, Naruto became great friends with them, helping them in pretty much anything they asked and vice-versa. Naruto shook such feelings away and rushed to the raiton classroom where the academy students would learn raiton ninjutsu with a jounin. Upon entrance, he came upon an empty classroom with a silver haired man reading a orange book who were very similar to a person that Naruto met a few time ago, but somehow said person simply disappeared from his view.

"Kakashi-nisan, is that you?" – Said Naruto, making the jounin turn to him and give him a broad smile, showing that was indeed Kakashi.

"My my Naruto, you sure grew. It's been a long time since I last saw you. How have you been doing? Here take a seat." – Asked Kakashi, showing a place for Naruto to seat, wondering why Naruto would come here. Kakashi thought he was to teach raiton jutsus to the academy students, but for some reason, only Naruto appeared and Kakashi concluded that Naruto was the only one with a raiton affinity on his classroom.

"I've been fine, Kakashi-niisan, I've already progressed in my fuuton affinity, I've been fighting with kage bunshins, Neji and Yuugao-chan so to improve taijutsu, I have a friend who pretty much use me for genjutsu practice. I'm on my last year at the academy and now I'm going to learn raiton ninjutsu, which is my secondary affinity". – Said Naruto, still oblivious to the fact that Kakashi was to be his teacher about raiton.

"Two affinities, huh? That's great Naruto-kun". – Smiled Kakashi seeing that he would have a whole year teaching the Hokage's son.

"Kakashi-niisan, where were you all this time? I never saw you anymore". – Asked Naruto.

"You see Naruto, I've always been in Konoha, but since I am an Anbu captain, my life pretty much is resolved around doing missions and using the rest of it to sleep. I didn't have time for you and I'm sorry, but now it seems that I'll make it up for you. Your father the hokage asked me to be the one teaching raiton affinity since apart from him, I was the only one available for it, so he gace me this year off and I'll be returning to Anbu duty next year. But, since only you showed up, means only you has raiton affinity. Man, if I were to teach katon, I would prefer to kill myself. Minato-sensei had to put three jounins there to teach everyone for the year, so I will be teaching you raiton. Now, let's begin our class, shall we?"

"Wow, I'm going to be learning under an Anbu captain, this is awesome". – Screamed Naruto channeling fuuton chakra through his lungs, giving his voice a little boost.

"Now, raiton affinity as you know, centers around lightning and electrical attacks…." – Began explaining Kakashi, as he talked about the nature of raiton and what its qualities and weaknesses. Kakashi also showed Naruto a list of jutsus they would be covering through the year and Kakashi was to set his genin graduation test, which will be a technique called **Raiton Kusari Raikou no Jutsu (**Lightning Style: Lightning Chain Jutsu**) **which was a B-ranked ninjutsu, since Naruto had a lot of chakra capacity and Kakashi didn't know that the academy would be limited to only C ranked ninjutsu.

If anyone were to see Naruto now, he would listen to every word that Kakashi was saying with much enthusiasm on his face. From what he heard, raiton ninjutsu centered about using the power of lightning and electricity as a way of shocking the opponent or paralyze him making him worthless in battle and practically a sitting duck.

At the end of the week, Naruto already learned how to channel lightning chakra when he completed an exercise to fill an empty battery using chakra. As he was able to do this, the battery was filling itself showing that Naruto was channeling raiton chakra through it. Actually, Naruto could get sell energy to the population, he ended up completing the battery three times and yet not panting at all using a jutsu named **Raiton Shindou Name no Jutsu (**Lightning Style: Shockwave Jutsu**) **. Right now, he was seen practicing a C-ranked raiton called **Raiton Dageki Mahi no Jutsu (**Lightning Style: Shock Paralysis Jutsu**) **against some kage bunshins that Kakashi made. Actually, Kakashi made this as a way to see if Naruto was making some mistakes, since the technique involved total body paralysis and by the fifth clone, Naruto was able to fully paralyze him.

* * *

**--Time skip one week to the genin test--**

11 months and three weeks passed since Naruto was mastering his raiton affinity, which according to Kakashi, the boy was a natural. Training to exhaustion until he was able to master techniques. Kakashi was extremely proud of how much the boy could learn in a year, considering that he was still an academy student. Now was the time to teach him the technique that he had to do in order to pass the genin exams. The **Raiton Kusari Raikou no Jutsu **was a B-ranked ninjutsu where the ninja manage to summon a chain of lightning around a certain area, striking at the enemy. Kakashi showed to Naruto the needed hand seals and not surprisingly enough Naruto got it by the second try. But since it was a B-ranked ninjutsu it was very difficult to learn, but on the first tries, Naruto managed to summon at least one thunder. For the technique to fully work, the ninja would have to summon one constantly.

Naruto being the stubborn that he was, tried and tried the whole week until he was able to master it.

On the day of the graduation test, many people appeared from the hokage, the parents of the students and friends. Naruto for his part had an audience of Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, Yuugao, Kurenai and Genma who were eager to see Naruto's raiton jutsu that he needed to do. None of them knew which was, but when word came to them by Kakashi, Minato wanted to struggle the lazy jounin.

Teaching his son a B-ranked ninjutsu to pass the genin exams where everyone needed a C ranked one was like sending him back to the academy for one more year. But surprisingly enough, Yuugao was the one who vowed for Naruto.

"Hokage-sama with all due respect, I believe Naruto will surpass every expectations you set up for him. Just see." – Said Yuugao, feeling proud of her friend and ultimate rival who pretty much used the damn technique against her shocking her to the very soul.

Minato for his part turned to see the purple haired kenjutsu specialist as she stood up for his son. He was curious as to her relationship with Naruto, as well as Kushina. Naruto's mother did like Yuugao's company at home but was wondering the same thought as her husband. When both of them looked at the girl's smile when mentioning Naruto's name, both of them smiled as well. They wouldn't be against both of them getting together, but a relationship like that required effort and they didn't want to see Naruto heartbroken even if such pain is unavoidable in life.

The new academy was a success. That was visible as the genin exams were being carried away with everyone being able to do their supposed elemental attack. Even though most of them were required to make the **Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu (**Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu**)** since most of the class had katon affintity, they were some doton users and suiton as well. Since Naruto was the only one with fuuton and raiton affinity, he was required to do both elemental attacks, but since he chose to only learn raiton jutsus on the academy, he could only do the raiton technique and receive the position of genin. Not being one to call attention upon him more than he would with the raiton jutsu, Naruto accept the offer.

As his time approached, he calmed himself while doing some light meditation. The jutsu he would be performing required a quite long set of hand seals and the sequence must be fast and perfect. Waiting for the signal from Anko to start, he looked towards the audience in front of him. Well apart from his family and friends, everyone turned to see what Naruto could do with raiton affinity, seeing that he was the only one with such affinity and got private lessons from an Ex-Anbu captain.

As Anko gave him the signal, Naruto closed his eyes and started with the hand seals. One by one was being formed in front of him in a rapid succession between each other, leaving only the high level ninja who were near to be able to see it. As Naruto finished the sequence flawless, he opened his eyes and turned to scream the name of the jutsu as the necessary chakra was already molded. **"Raiton Kusari Raikou no Jutsu"**.

Instantly, the sky was dark and countless lightnings descended upon the field, creating several craters out of impact. As he finished the technique, he turned to look the smiling face of Kakashi who was nodding in approval towards him and pretty much everyone except Yuugao and Kakashi were with jaws on the ground, wondering what the hell just happened. Minato was looking at the seals being formed and wondered about why Kakashi taught such a complex jutsu to his son, but when the light show started, he lost that thought.

Needless to say Naruto passed with flying colors.


	6. Genin team

Chapter 6 – Genin Team

**Chapter 6 – Genin**** Team**

After pretty much creating numbers of holes on the training ground, Naruto was actually relieved that the jutsu was done flawlessly, since he found it extremely difficult to learn the seals sequence. The jutsu itself needed a sequence of twenty seven hand seals just for the chakra to mold accordingly and after that Naruto still needed to focus raiton chakra which proven to be quite difficult because of his natural affinity for wind and the fact that he could channel wind chakra without even thinking about it.

While Naruto was being humble about the fact that he was able to do the jutsu because of pure luck, the others present were thinking quite differently. Some jealous students were with the theory that the hokage's son somehow cheated simply because it would be impossible for an academy student to perform a B level jutsu. Others were in awe at the demonstration, that they considered Naruto to be a genius ninja, practically earning the title of rookie of the year in terms of ninjutsu. The rest of them were having feelings of pride at seeing what Naruto was able to do. The latter thoughts belonged to his parents, Yuugao, Kurenai and Genma. Kakashi, having already seen it before the exams, smiled upon seeing the wide smile being apparent on the Hokage's features as he clearly was applauding his son inside his mind with most enthusiasm.

Yuugao for her part, even though already seen the jutsu being used at her was taken aback from the demonstration since the one Naruto used on her clearly wasn't as potent as the one he demonstrated which led her to believe that he hold back a little so as not to electrocute her and send her to the hospital. Usually she would be fuming right now from being underestimated by her rival, but she realized that had he used the **Raiton Kusari Raikou no Jutsu** with full force, she would serious doubt that she could come out alive after receiving only one of such lightnings.

As the mouths were close by Anko and Iruka who for their part were still playing the jutsu over their heads, it was Anko who decided to give the hitai-ate to the blonde prodigy. It was quite comical to see Naruto just waiting to receive his hitai-ate, but instead having to wait for her academy senseis to come back from their wonderings before granting him the title of genin for Konohagakure no Sato. Anko was like last time, pride of herself for being the one who taught such genius in ninjutsu, she was having second thoughts about taking on a genin team since the Hokage offered her such a position, by becoming a full jounin. She was considering the payment, since it would be beneficial for her to teach some brats, do some boring D ranked missions and going up the mission ranks. Before Naruto, Anko would never think about taking on a genin team but now that the brat showed that he could do, she was considering the idea of being a jounin sensei, or as she would like, his jounin sensei.

Anko concluded after thought that she would accept the jounin sensei status and take a genin team, with a single condition. The Namizake brat had to be on said team. Clearly, Anko wouldn't dream of favoring him over the other two teammates that would be put together with him, but if what Yuugao said about him was true, than she would also become stronger as well. Also, according to what Yuugao and Kurenai shared about his interesting personality as well as never giving up once he set his mind to do something. She could already picture seeing him in actual combat kicking foreign shinobi's asses.

Not wanting to irritate the boy since clearly he was standing there waiting to receive his hitai-ate that would attest his genin status, she woke up from her wonderings and promptly gave it to Naruto, as well as complementing him on his skills. "Congratulations, Naruto. You managed to impress all of us and we are proud to handle this konoha hitai-ate to you as a sign of your passing the elemental test, please come to the academy tomorrow so as to see which team you'll be and which jounin sensei would be assigned to you". – Said Anko, still confident that she would be the one to happily take such position, but she would have to beg for the Hokage to assign Naruto to her team, should she be instated as one.

"Thanks Anko-sensei. I was really lucky to be able to get through such a hard sequence, but it seemed that I managed though". – Said Naruto, scratching his back while laughing and tying the hitai-ate on his left arm, instead of using it on his forehead. Anko for her part was booming with the sound of actually be called Anko-sensei by the Namikaze blonde, even though she already heard him calling her that while at the academy. After settling the hitai-ate, he went to his audience so he could receive the congratulations and applauses from his family and friends.

As he was passing though the training ground, he stopped by to congratulate both Neji and Tenten from passing the genin test as well. After, he continued on his path towards the group who by now was discussing the display of abilities showed by Naruto. Naruto for his part was oblivious to the fact that the jutsu he showed was a B ranked one, instead of the regular C ranked which was required to pass the exams. As he arrived, he listened his father berating Kakashi for not only teaching a B ranked ninjutsu, but also determining such a difficult jutsu to be performed as a final test. As the little Namikaze heard it, words flew out of his mouth and he was wondering about the jutsu he performed. _'Ok, now I see why there was such long sequence to do it, it was a B ranked jutsu, it seems that I now can move to B ranked fuuton ninjutsu then, great'._

"Hey guys, I passed. Isn't it great? Now I'm a ninja just like the rest of you". – Boomed Naruto, pointing at his hitai-ate much to the amusement of everyone present, as well as a smirk coming from Yuugao who already knew her rival would pass the exams. He wouldn't be her rival if he didn't manage to pass the exam even though it was much difficult than the one she had to do to pass. Suddenly as everyone spotted the blonde, they all screamed the regular CONGRATULATIONS for him with his family adding a couple words or two about now having an entire shinobi family.

* * *

**--At the Namikaze ****Manor-- **

After some time talking about the technique he did and the ones he learned with Kakashi, the Namikazes went back to their household so as to prepare themselves for a nice family dinner. Since Minato would have to appear in two hours for team selections, he was now resting on the couch a little bit. Naruto was upstairs reading his fuuton ninjutsu book, so as to start learning B ranked fuuton ninjutsu, other than the **kaze no yaiba **that he already knew.

Upon reading he came across a technique called **Fuuton Kadou no Jutsu **(Wind Style: Vortex Jutsu)**. **Such technique was ranked B level and it consisted on the creation of a wind vortex that expels huge gusts of wind repeatedly. According to the book, the technique is controlled by how much chakra the ninja uses on it with being the more chakra, the more time the vortex had. It also said that the chakra needed for such a technique was considerably large, being recommended to be used only once a day so as not to be useless in battle of even suffer from chakra exhaustion afterwards. Naruto tended to compare such technique with the **Raiton Kusari Raikou no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Chain of Lightning Jutsu) in terms of chakra drain. While the raiton jutsu didn't put a strain on the chakra capacity, it was difficult to perform because of the fact that lightning was Naruto's second nature, but the fuuton technique would be much easier for Naruto to perform seeing as his control over the fuuton affinity was second nature to him, since he constantly used the training exercise that consisted of expelling constant fuuton chakra from his body as a way of controlling the air around him to an certain extent.

Hearing his mother calling for dinner though, put the fuuton jutsu on hold as he was hungry, wanting to satisfy his stomach before satisfying his curiosity of rather the fuuton ninjutsu indeed consumes a lot of his chakra or not. Naruto was extremely proud of his accomplishments until now. Ninjutsu master, higher than average taijutsu, average knowledge of genjutsu regarding on how to only dispel the techniques since it wasn't part of his fighting style which by the way incorporated taijutsu with his twin knifes imbedded with fuuton chakra, using ninjutsu for long range attacks.

Upon arriving at the table and sitting together with his family, Naruto recognized their faces in a way that they seemed to be hiding something. Kushina was known for not relying much on deception, so it was easy to see that she couldn't contain her smile much longer and the fact that Minato also wasn't able to contain his joy about showing Naruto the surprise they bought for him. Seeing this, Naruto turned to speak to his parents: "Ah, Kaa-san, Tou-san, is there something wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?" – Asked Naruto, only to receive a couple of laughs coming from his parents, as his father reached for something he was supposedly hiding below the table and showed a scroll with the symbol for lightning on it. "Well, Naruto-kun since you graduated from the academy and it's now a genin, your kaa-san and I decided to give you a present. In this scroll, there is a B ranked ninjutsu called **Raiton Ikazuki Butoukai Hou no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Thunder Ball Cannon Jutsu). Since you were able to do a B ranked raiton jutsu on your exam, we asked Kakashi to pick one for you to learn on your genin missions. But, be warned though, a technique such as this one require lots of chakra to perform and you should be careful regarding how to use in battle". – Explained Minato as the family was eating dinner.

After some casual conversation, the dinner was over and Minato had to go to his office in order to settle the genin teams and their respective jounin senseis. Minato was pondering over who was to be his jounin-sensei, seeing that Naruto had already a very good knowledge at all the three areas of jutsus and now that the genins would be performing low C ranked level missions as starters, the jounin senseis would have to very skilled in order to teach the now specialized genins and improve their abilities. As he said goodbye to his family, he took one last look at Naruto and managed to see the boy rushing towards the garden, no doubt, would be trying to learn the new raiton technique, but later he would come to realize that Naruto's fuuton ninjutsu wasn't out of the picture and even though Naruto had a new raiton jutsu to learn, his list of priorities listed the **Fuuton Kadou no jutsu** as first on the list.

* * *

**--At the Hokage's office--**

Upon arrival with Sarutobi, Minato noticed ten jounins residing there. From the jounins there, a couple of easy recognizable ones made their appearance. Aoba was one of them. The sun glassed jounin's late team had already promoted to the rank of chunnin, not needing his tutoring anymore, therefore he wanted to pick another team. Sarutobi Asuma was there as well. The bearded ninja was once a member of the Fire Lord's guardians and he wanted a team as well. Others were very skilled as well, but not as them. But what surprised the blonde hokage, was the presence of the snake mistress Mitarashi Anko. Minato remembered the very words of such a person sometime in the past regarding taking a genin team. Anko at the time said that 'she would gladly be tortured by Ibiki rather than babysitting some genins'. Now, here she was offering her position as jounin-sensei for the new specialized genins.

"Okay, jounins, here it's the report made by Iruka of all the genins that graduated this year and their special attributes and qualities. I and Sarutobi had already set up a certain pardon of genin teams according to each genin's fighting style. Through the academy, our genins were able to establish their favorite 'position' of fighting so we'll divide the genins into close, middle range and long range fighters accordingly. Now, I want to explain this to everyone present that the mission of being sensei to these kids will be different now". – Begin explaining the Hokage, earning looks of surprise by the jounins present. Seeing the need to elaborate, Minato continued. "Now, since the D ranked missions are being carried by academy students, the genin will be responsible for C ranked ones, so said jounin would have to be able to provide good cover for the genins should they need assistance. Another thing is that the jounins will keep tabs with each of the genins, seeing their level of skill and molding them to chunnin level."

After that Minato now showed the list of the teams that, according to himself and Sarutobi, would balance the teams with each of them having a close, mid and long range fighters as well as the fact that teamwork was already present between them. Minato after explaining everything, started to tell the teams as well as list the names of the jounin senseis who showed interest in tutoring. When team 5 was announced consisting of Hyuuga Neji for close range, Namikaze Naruto for mid-range and Tenten for long range attacks, surprisingly the one who volunteered was no other than the snake mistress, showing to the Hokage that his son made quite an impression on her. Anko, because of her past with Orochimaru was at first wanting no contact at all with anyone other than the village kage. After some time, she came to know Iruka and they started dating. Thanks to Iruka, Anko had loosened up with her attitude towards people and was able to make friends out of Kurenai and Yuugao.

When said woman voiced her reasons for wanting such team, she stated that having a rather good knowledge of katon and doton techniques that she could teach Tenten and Neji, she would also improve Tenten's use of weapons as her kenjutsu abilities were on queen with Anbu. She voiced that even though she wouldn't be teaching Naruto at the art of ninjutsu, even though she felt that the boy needed little to no help regarding such a subject, she would improve his physical skills such as speed, taijutsu and stamina by constantly sparring with him and aid him if needed be. But inside, she was hoping of taking such a perfect team with her. Her Katon affinity as well as good knowledge of some doton techniques would improve the other two in ninjutsu and quite frankly, she wanted to see what Naruto was made of if what Yuugao said about his abilities were true.

Seeing that no other jounin wanted Team 5, Anko was settled as the jounin-sensei, hereby granting the title of full jounin, since she was a tokubetsu jounin with master in assassination skills. After hearing the good news, Anko bowed in respect to the two hokages, but on the inside, she was literally screaming in joy. She was imagining some of the Team 5's future accomplishments with a Hyuuga for close range and doton affinity; the namikaze genius for mid-range with fuuton/raiton affinity and well balanced taijutsu; and the weapon mistress Tenten with her katon affinity.

It was close to eleven o' clock, when the teams were set and the jounins were already established. Minato was now alone in his office, contemplating a little bit on the teams that the new academy graduated and he was completely satisfied with the results. It was safe to say that the new genins would improve Konoha's ninja force greatly. As Minato looked through the big window behind his seat, he was able to see a glimpse of his house. '_I should be going, Kushina-chan will be worried if I don't arrive soon'_. But just as Minato was about to leave the chair, something entered his line of sight and it was close to his house. Not wanting another iwa attempt on kidnapping his son, he used his famous technique only to arrive in seconds in front of his house's garden.

* * *

**--At the Namikaze Manor--**

Minato arrived and landed near his wife Kushina who looked scared at something. As Minato turned to look what his wife was so scared about, he almost shit his paints at the sight. There on the garden, Naruto was standing behind what looked to be a tunnel of wind blasting gusts of wind towards the tunnel's direction. Minato had already fought a jounin in Suna and remembered such a technique but he wasn't familiar with the name of it. As he saw Naruto, he could see the slight sweat drop that was falling from his face, showing that his son was having trouble keeping the jutsu active.

Naruto for his part, was trembling because of the concentration needed to maintain the technique. Naruto didn't want to see how many times he could perform the jutsu, he preferred to see how long he could maintain the technique just like the **Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu** (Wind Sytle: Wind Barrier Jutsu). Naruto was starting to feel his chakra level diminishing greatly so he decided to cancel the technique. Such technique was similar to the one he performed in order to graduate; both of them were used as distractions jutsus. If the team needed to fallback or hold the enemy until escape, both of them would be equally valuable.

As Naruto turned, he locked eyes with a little audience that happened to see the fuuton jutsu quite well. Kushina was starting to wonder if her son was a magician or an artist because of the demonstrations and Minato was feeling proud yet again of his son for accomplishing a second B ranked ninjutsu. For Naruto, it would only be a matter of time for him to start on A ranked ninjutsu, seeing that he already had the chakra level to accomplish such techniques.

"It seems that you added another jutsu to your arsenal son. I've already seen it, but I don't remember the name of such jutsu, what is it called?" – Asked Minato, slightly interested to see that technique being used in favor of Konoha, since the last time he saw, he was on the receiving end of such a thing, flying away because of the wind's force. "It's called **Fuuton Kadou no Jutsu **(Wind Style: Vortex Jutsu) dad. According to the book, such technique serves as diversion to a number of enemies, since it's a large scale attack." – Said Naruto, explaining to Minato who already knew that. "Yep, that's right. Once I was finding against three suna jounins and one of them used such technique on my squad, sending us away and made their escape possible, but no doubt is a great technique to have in your arsenal".

After some discussion on the technique, Naruto went to bed, since not only he was tired because of the jutsu, but also since he would have to rise early for team selections and to see who would be his jounin sensei. Because of the strain left on his body because of the jutsu, Naruto literally passed out on his bed, not even bothering to change the clothes he was wearing. Upon close inspection to his face, Naruto was indeed smiling madly. Needless to say he was dreaming about his future missions as a genin for Konohagakure no Sato.

* * *

**--The next day--**

Naruto woke up as the sun light appeared on his face, showing what a beautiful day would be today. Today Naruto would meet his team and the jounin responsible for them. As he got up, he instantly activated his 6x gravity seal, instantly feeling the added weight to his body. After that, he proceeded to take a little shower, change his clothes and go downstairs for breakfast only to see his parents already there, doing some 'flirting' to each other. Such a sight earned a smile from the little blonde. Naruto long ago found a book about a shinobi couple that fought together a war and came victorious. Now remembering the end of the book, the scene of his parents doing romantic talk to one another was like seeing the end of the book.

Not wanting to interrupt the happy couple, Naruto quickly grabbed a bottle of milk inside the refrigerator and got out of the house towards the academy. Naruto was wondering if he would ever find someone like his father found his mother. At first, it would be quite strange to see a 10 year old boy thinking of such things, but everyone considered Naruto to be more mature than people his age, so it wouldn't come as a surprise, that the blonde Namikaze would start thinking about it. As he was jumping towards rooftops, his eyes came upon someone who seemed to be waiting for him. Kami seemed to have a twisted idea for connecting people it seemed. Just as Naruto was wondering if he would ever find someone to spend hid life with, the one person that appears in front of him was no other than the girl who also wondered about such things. Uzuki Yuugao.

As Naruto stopped, he locked eyes with his rival for some time, as if he got into battle mode and started studying his opponent. This routine was almost every day, each of them would stare at each other for a while and then one of them would attack when the other didn't expect. This exercise was created by both of them in order to improve concentration and defensive/evasive maneuver when defending. As the two of them narrowed their sights, waiting for one to attack and the other to defend, Yuugao suddenly vanished and in a blur picked her sword in order to slash her opponent, only to meet Naruto's trench knifes imbedded with fuuton chakra forming a cross formation in order to block the sword, therefore completing the exercise.

"You are faster Naruto-kun. No doubt is the result of the 6x gravity seal." – Said Yuugao smiling towards her rival, much to Naruto's grin, since he also felt that Yuugao's speed was quite remarkable for the 3x gravity seal. "Thanks, you are much faster too, Yuugao-chan (Sooner or later he would start calling her that, do not assume things that aren't there…..not yet anyway), and to think you are only accustomed to the 3x gravity seal so far. Let me guess, you want to raise to 4x, don't you?" – Asked Naruto, earning a nod from his rival.

After Naruto finished raising Yuugao's gravity seal, they exchanged smiles towards each other and said their goodbyes, since Yuugao had a mission to proceed and Naruto was to go to the academy in order to meet his team and new sensei. Yuugao for her part, was having difficulties adjusting to the new gravity seal, but she had determination visible on her eyes and if Naruto-kun was able to raise to 6x, she would as well. Pumping more chakra through her legs, she sprinted towards the Hokage Tower, arriving there in five minutes.

* * *

**--At the Hokage's office--**

Minato had just arrived after sharing a lovely morning **alone **with his wife. It was strange because he didn't see Naruto before he already left to go to the academy. He was so busy with Kushina that he forgot to witness his son's first day as a genin and he was cursing himself for it. Not that he didn't like all the flirting he and his wife shared, but he wanted to see Naruto before he left. His son probably saw them and didn't want to interrupt them he thought. As he was contemplating the possibilities, Yuugao and Kurenai was already inside the office, just to listen to almighty hokage punch himself on the head from not seeing his son's first day as genin, because he was flirting to his wife, making both of the girls now 18 years old sweat drop.

"Ah, excuse me Hokage-sama, if you want some privacy, we can come back later." – Said Yuugao, still laughing on the inside about Naruto's dad berating himself from not seeing Naruto's first day as a genin as well as doing some smooth talk to his wife. Minato once hearing such a familiar voice, turned only to see the two chunnins which by the way would take the jounin exams next year. Suddenly, realizing that they heard everything, he smiled and scratched the back of his head, demonstrating a future version of what Naruto would be like when growing up, quite to Yuugao's most secret grin on her face. Yuugao couldn't describe what she was feeling towards Naruto. For some time, he's been helping her more than anyone ever had and he displayed a mature attitude that was far beyond his age.

Minato for his part managed to take a look at the purple haired chunnin and smiled knowing such looks from her. He knew her feelings for his son were for now just friends and rival, but judging from her looks, he could feel that her feelings for his son were in constant evolution and he wouldn't be surprised if suddenly they got together, but since both of them are young, time was not the issue. Upon further inspection, Minato recognized the 4x gravity seal on her and smiled since she was his son's rival after all and if he was now at 6x, she would certainly struggle to surpass him.

"Yuugao-san, since when do you have a 4x gravity seal on you?" – Asked Minato, earning looks of surprise and shock from the purple haired kunoichi who didn't know that such a seal could be visible to others. "How do you know that Hokage-sama?" – Asked Yuugao, earning a smile from the Hokage. "I'm a fuuinjutsu specialist Yuugao-san, not to mention that I know only two people who would be able to get you such a seal, me and Naruto. Also, since you seemed to have a rivalry with him, I would believe that you wanted to surpass him, but be careful with such training, the gravity seal if increased too much, put a strain on your body and would bother you during a mission. Naruto is currently at 6x, but it would take a while for him to raise to 7x. Just remember to deactivate if the battle is too hard for you to keep up. I rather have you alive even if the mission fails. Now, there is a B ranked mission for the both of you. A couple weeks ago, one of the villages next to Iwa had some trouble with some C ranked missing nins, go there and take care of them, dismissed and good luck".

* * *

**--At the Academy--**

After the encounter with Yuugao, Naruto sprinted towards the academy in order to receive the news of his team and the jounin that would be responsible for his growth alongside his team. From all of the jounins he knew, only one had come to train him and that was old team 2's jounin sensei Yamashiro Aoba but Naruto wasn't even sure Aoba would take another team, seeing that he was Yuugao's sensei and normally one jounin would only take one team and then start going on solo missions after the genins were promoted to chunnin. But there was a possibility that the sun glassed jounin would consider taking on another team, simply because of the fact that team 2 were made of fine ninja already knocking the jounin doors at such a young age, so he would be considering the tutoring business.

As he arrived at the academy, there were a few people already inside, but yet no signs of Neji or Tenten yet. As he was heading for his seat, he greeted his academy senseis Iruka and Anko, obviously oblivious to the fact that he would still call Mitarashi Anko that name until he upgraded to chunnin, which according to her, he would in practically no time at all. She wondered if such team would advance to chunnin on their first chunnin exams, seeing that they showed some great skills during the academy. Anko for her part was looking at the namikaze genin with some fire on her eyes. She remembered her conversation with Kurenai and Yuugao yesterday after the team selections, as Yuugao shared what he felt for him at the moment.

**Flashback on**

After the team selections, all jounins were dismissed from the Hokage's office and Anko went straight to Kurenai's apartment for girl's night together with Yuugao. The three of them were known throughout Konoha to be best of friends and the fact that any info they got they shared with each other, obviously except village secrets or labeled S ranked secrets labeled by the Hokage. As she knocked, she was greeted by the new appointed genjutsu mistress of Konoha that ushered Anko inside to see that Yuugo was already inside. Inside her apartment, it was everything a girl's night would need. Seeing that Yuugao was already inside, Anko decided to start the fun telling them about some sexual conversation she had with Iruka, earning some blushing from Kurenai and a giggle from Yuugao. "So, after some time insisting some 'active' personality from Iruka-kun, he finally gave in and what he did next, girls…brace yourselves…he ripped my fishnet T-shirt with such force that…believe me…I almost had an orgasm". – Said Anko as she began explaining the hot details of what came after the ripping, leaving slight nosebleeds coming out of Yuugao and Kurenai. "So, Anko-chan I believe you will take a team this time, ne?" – Asked Kurenai, changing the subject so as to not suffer from blood loss from imagining Anko's description on her night once with Umino Iruka.

"You're no fun, Kurenai-chan, but since you asked. Yes, I will be taking on a genin team". – Said Anko, looking straight at Yuugao with the pretension of telling her that a certain blonde gaki would be on such team, but much to Anko's sadness, Yuugao didn't seem to take the hint. "Why are you looking at me Anko-chan? Who will be on your team?" – Asked Yuugao, since she was curious regarding who would be Naruto's jounin sensei, but she would never say that out loud. "This team in special, I got the Hyuuga prodigy who has an affinity in doton and naturally one of the best taijutsu stances in Konoha, his name is Hyuuga Neji. Also, a weapon mistress like you Yuugao-chan but with katon affinity instead of suiton like yourself and last but definitely not least…." – Explained Anko, leaving the last part for the girls to figure out on their own. "Who is it, Anko-chan? Come on, tell us." – Asked Kurenai, also not knowing the particularly obvious answer.

Anko for her part, figured that some sense should be implanted in those girls. She was making the story so much fun for them to get wide-eyed at the fact that she would be Naruto's sensei. But much to her dismay, none of them knew that the answer was pretty much what most of them talked about, the one and only Namikaze Naruto. "It saddens me to see such density being displayed here, girls. Ok, I'm going to give hints by telling some of his descriptions, now pay attention. He has two chakra affinities, rather toned body for his age, sun blonde hair and deep blue eyes…" – Said Anko, but was cut off when apparently her descriptions of the guy made both of them realize who the person was. "Wait, are you telling me that Naruto-kun will be on your team, how can that be? I thought that he would be parried with at least Asuma, because of his wind affinity or someone with raiton affinity like Kakashi-san to help him. Your chakra affinity is fire and you know doton techniques, how on earth could you teach Naruto to better his skills?" – Exploded Yuugao, not even realizing she did so obviously showing jealous looks towards the snake mistress; however she either didn't know or didn't care.

"I didn't figure you to become jealous Yuugao-chan, I will only be his sensei, nothing more. Besides, even though I can't do anything about his ninjutsu, seeing that he got that area covered by now, I could harness other skills like improve his style of fighting, improving his speed, stamina, stealth, with him the sky is the limit, Yuugao-chan. The ninjutsu training will be reserved for the other two. But returning to the jealous feeling, care to share with us as to why are you feeling jealous that I got to be his sensei, huh?" – Mumbled Anko that last part, teasing Yuugao's feelings over a 10 year old boy yet quite mature and good locking for his age, according to Anko and Kurenai.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about Anko-chan, why would I be jealous of you because of Naruto-kun?" – Asked Yuugao, surprisingly blushing a little bit from imagining Naruto from three of four years later. "Oh come on, Yuugao-chan no one would judge you here, in fact Naruto-kun in about four years, would be quite a stud". – Said Kurenai, with the purpose of easing her friend's apprehensive state while talking about Naruto. "Actually, Kurenai-chan I don't know what to say about that, I mean Naruto-kun always helped me in training and stuff and we had just a few conversations every now and then. I know he's good looking and everything, but he is only ten, I just don't see him more than a friend. Maybe in a few years, but now we're just friends and rival". – Said Yuugao, being reasonable about any possible crush on a ten year old guy, but she didn't deny the fact that in the future, Yuugao would consider the possibility, much to Anko's amusement. "Ok, Yuugao-chan but you don't deny that he is one hell of a guy".

**Flashback off**

Anko was wondering when Yuugao would get interested in Naruto in more than just friends. She could tell that Naruto and Yuugao secretly are very alike each other and the fact that they interact so well together is a welcomed bonus to her hunch about the both of them being together. As the rest of the class was being filled, she realized that it was the time to read the team's names and the jounin-senseis responsible for them. Taking the opportunity, Iruka started reading the team names. "Team 1…Team 2…Team 3…Team 4….Team 5 is Tenten, Hyuuga Neji and Namikaze Naruto, jounin-sensei Mitarashi Anko". - Said Iruka, as he continued to read the rest of the teams. Naruto for his part was happy that the team that did all the D ranked missions would be the same as genin team and he was happy that Neji was among the ones on his team along with Tenten. But what caught him extremely by surprise was having Anko as a jounin sensei, because he thought that Anko would never take on a team, since he didn't take her for being patient for taking care of three 10 year olds. Come to think about it, Anko was one of Yuugao's best friends.

Yep Kami had a real strange way of setting things.


	7. Shinobi legend in the making

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* * *

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Chapter 7 – Shinobi legend in the making

After Iruka stopped talking about the teams, he issued the new genin to wait until the respective jounin senseis arrived for them. Since Anko was already there, she figured it would be pointless to sit and wait the rest of the jounins to arrive, so she issued her team to go meet her at her favorite spot in Konoha. "Alright Team 5 meet me in twenty minutes at the dango stand, ja ne". – Said Anko as he shunshined out of the classroom, leaving Naruto, Tenten and Neji with a scowl on each of their faces, since their so called jounin sensei left without even saying where the hell was the dango place in the first place.

Naruto suddenly remembered Yuugao saying that she along with Kurenai went to meet Anko at the same place every day and that such place was a dango stand. Catching up on the location after searching his mind, Naruto turned to his new teammates and lead them on to where was the place they were supposed to go. As Team 5 left the classroom in a calm manner, since Naruto didn't want to use **fuuton shunshin, **they came across a certain jounin wearing sun glasses that happened to go pick one of his new genin team. Yamashiro Aoba was wondering just how different would this new batch of genin be, since the new academy and for once didn't notice a familiar blonde coming towards his way. "Aoba-sensei, is that you?" – Asked Naruto for Aoba to lift his head to see to whom belonged such a familiar voice just to see that the boy was Namikaze Naruto, but Aoba was checking on his new appearance and the fact that now was taller than before (of course, they met four years ago). "Naruto, man you've grown. I can see that you're a genin now, congratulations. Where are you heading?"

"Thanks Aoba-sensei. I and my team are heading to the dango place to meet our sensei Mitarashi Anko". – Said Naruto, which Aoba lifted his eyebrow. He would never know why Anko volunteered to teach a team of genins in the first place. He remembered that night at the Hokage's office where she wanted to take Naruto's team, being that the only condition for her to pick a genin team. Aoba, since then, was pondering on the topic of how much Naruto's abilities influenced her decision, sure he was strong but to pick the snake mistress's interest was nothing short of amazing. Aoba recalled chatting with his ex-students Kurenai and Yuugao and he remembered both of the girls praising about Naruto's shinobi skills. "Oh, I see. Well, nice seeing you, I'm off to see my team, later". – Said Aoba as he continued walking towards the classroom.

* * *

**--At the Dango place--**

As Team 5 were keeping their pace towards the dango place, Anko was already there enjoying a few set of dangos and a cup of tea. It was only five minutes left for her team to arrive and this was her team's first test, to arrive in time. She had a knack for punctuality and such a rule would be extended to her team.

Before Anko finished her last set of dango, she looked at the clock to see that the time she gave them has ended and they were due to arrive yet. But, unfortunately for her, her team had just arrived, meaning that there wouldn't be any lecture on her part or 'torture lesson' as she would like to call. Upon seeing their new sensei, Team 5 joined her table for what would be their first team gathering. After they all sat, Anko chose to eat the last dango and address to them. "Welcome to my team. Together we will be a part of Team 5. Now, even though I was your teacher at the academy, I didn't get to know any of you as I will now. So, we'll start with some introductions about ourselves. As I point, I want each of you to tell me your names, likes, dislikes and dreams for the future. Okay, you go". – Said Anko as she pointed to Tenten. "Hi, I'm Tenten, I like weapons, my friends, my family and training, I dislike those who think boys are stronger than girls just because of the gender. My dream for the future is to be a weapons specialist and become a part of Anbu". – Explained Tenten, earning a recognition nod from Anko who sympathized with her. "Very nice, Tenten, now you, Neji isn't it?" – Asked Anko as she pointed to him.

"My name is Hyuuga Neji. My likes are training, my family and friends. I dislike wasting my time when I could be training. My dream for the future is to surpass my tou-san in the arts of the jyuuken". – Said Neji, turning his head to Naruto, since he would be the next one to talk about him. "Right, I'm Namikaze Naruto, I like my family, friends, ninjutsu, training and watching the full moon. I dislike favoritism based by whose father you are or whose clan you belong and my dream for the future is to be an Anbu captain". – Said Naruto, earning glances from Anko and the rest of the genins, since they believed Naruto said that he enjoyed watching the full moon. Anko for her part was recollecting Yuugao talking to her about the time she got to see Naruto staring at the full moon one time and from what she described; Anko could only want to know more about the namikaze blonde. "Ah, Naruto, did you say you like to stare at the full moon, what's so nice about it?" – Asked Tenten, getting nods from Neji who was also interested, but apart from Tenten, Neji remember hearing something about it from Naruto's father once.

"Well, at first I was really impressed by the beauty and magnitude of moonlight acting like a second son illuminating Konoha. Of course, when the sun does it, it's still nice and all, but the feeling is completely different. But nowadays, every time I look at it, somehow I'm hypnotized just by looking at it. It seems that I couldn't get enough of looking at". – Explained Naruto to his peers, who thought best to question someone's hobbies. "Your father was right, Naruto, you are indeed a werewolf". – Said Neji, actually making a joke at the namikaze genin who in turn smiled, remembering the hokage saying that to him. Anko for her part was actually smiling upon seeing Naruto's genuine one. She knew deep inside about her friend Yuugao's blabbering about him and she wondered how much Naruto had influenced Yuugao over time, but seeing it was her chance to talk about her, she did just that. "Well, my name is Mitarashi Anko, I like dango, tor…interrogating missing-nins, my friends and Iruka-kun. I dislike guys who are full of themselves to even bother looking at the dictionary about a word called humility sometimes and my dream for the future is to…I don't know…maybe be with Iruka, I guess. Oh and seeing that you are mine for at least the time you being promoted to chunnin, I plan for the training to be as 'pleasurable' for me as it will be for you, if you know what I mean". – Said Anko, smiling deviously at the genin who thought best of daring to ask the question and figure out what she meant by that.

* * *

**--With Yuugao--**

Meanwhile, Kurenai and Yuugao were returning from their assigned mission with a smirk. Yuugao, since she got to fight a lot of missing-nins and was able to use the strategy she planned on using on a certain blonde-haired genin once they sparred again. Kurenai for her part was smiling just because Yuugao was smiling as well. She knew how much Yuugao love to fight and as she witnessed the display of the kenjutsu specialist's skills, she silently thanked Kami for not putting her to fight against Yuugao at the chunnin exams. Also Kurenai shivered upon remembering as to what she heard about Yuugao's strategy after the fight. She recalled seeing Yuugao's eyes as she said that such strategy and techniques were to be directed to Naruto off all people. Yuugao explained to her about her 'evolved' rivalry with the blonde and wished that he wouldn't get badly hurt after this.

"Come, Kurenai-chan, I have to test this strategy on him today, even if I have to ask permission for Anko-chan. If my thoughts are correct, she must be having her first conversation with her team, seeing that the academy time would be over and all. Bet you 20 ryos that they are at the dango place". – Said Yuugao, instantly showing her signature smile, same as she did when she was to fight him or had already did, much to Kurenai's secret delight, since she happen to like Yuugao when she is like this all cheerful and all. "That's not fair, Yuugao-chan, we're talking about Anko here, there wouldn't be any place she would rather go to". – Said Kurenai as she giggled at the last comment, same to Yuugao. "I know that, it seemed like easy money that's all". With that, both girls took a quick pace towards the dango place.

* * *

**--At the Dango Place--**

As Anko finished explaining as to what she meant by the word 'pleasurable', pretty much making the genins slightly scared of her. She addressed to them to meet tomorrow at 8 am, as for a little display of skills in order to see how to improve them if needed be. Little after the team left, two girls arrived at the place only to see Anko there sitting by herself ordering some more dango and one more cup of tea. "Anko-chan, I thought you were here talking with your genin team, where are they?" – Asked Yuugao, trying to hide the fact that she was looking for Naruto only, which didn't get unnoticed by Anko, since she was smiling deviously at her friend. "They just left, Yuugao-chan. I believe that your boyfriend was heading for his house, if you hurry, you can catch him". – Said Anko, earning a glare from Yuugao, from the boyfriend remark, but since she wanted to fight him so badly, she decided to let it slide for later and just vanished using shunshin, leaving Kurenai and Anko. "Kurenai-chan, how about a little bet, what do you say?"

"A bet, you say? What's the wager?" – Asked Kurenai, earning a smile from Anko. "How long it will take for Yuugao to actually tell the truth to him? I would say two years from now, what about you?" – Said Anko, to which Kurenai smiled when she thought about it and realized that her kenjutsu friend was beginning to display different affections towards the blonde. "That soon, Anko-chan. No, even though I think on the same lines as you do, Naruto-kun is only ten and Yuugao is eighteen, I would say four years from today. How much will be betting?"

After a few discussions regarding the wager, the girls settled for 100 ryo, because of how long they were betting for the romance to begin, to which both of them laugher about, with both of them also imagining Naruto and Yuugao together, with Naruto in a Konoha chunnin outfit by them and Yuugao either in a jounin outfit or in an Anbu attire. "Well, Anko-chan, since Yuugao-chan went after Naruto, I'll have to deliver the mission report to Yondaime-sama alone, see ya".

**

* * *

****--Elsewhere in Konoha--**

After leaving the dango place, Naruto actually felt a little shiver up his spine upon hearing about how would be Anko's training. Just for hearing what she planned for the team, Naruto wondered if he would live to even become a chunnin in the first place. Since Naruto was deep in thought about it, he failed to realize that a purple haired kunoichi was reaching up to him, while speeding through the rooftops. Just as Naruto was about to set his foot on the upcoming rooftop, a kunai came flying at him, leaving him with no option but to defend himself from it. Naruto reached one of his trench knifes and blocked the upcoming kunai, before hearing the noise of metal against metal and sighing in relief from not being imbedded by the kunai. Going through his mind over who might do that, he came to the only person who challenged him like this and smiled. It has been some time since his last spar with the kenjutsu specialist and he wanted to have another go.

As he turned, he spotted said woman at a training ground nearby with a grin on her face, meaning one thing, well at least for Naruto it only meant one thing. A spar. Quickly picking the last trench knife, he then channeled fuuton chakra through it as to show Yuugao that he was ready for it. Seeing this, Yuugao smiled and quickly picked her katana and dashed towards him with a swing motion, being stopped by the wind trench knifes courtesy of Naruto. "You are a lot stronger than before, Yuugao-chan". – Said Naruto while keeping his defenses up in case of a sudden suiton technique, being this typical of her. "Thanks, Naruto-kun, your speed has improved as well". – Smiled Yuugao, before suddenly jumping back while making hand seals true to Naruto's suspicions. "**Suiton Hahonyruu no Jutsu (**Water Style: Destructive Rapid Torrents Jutsu**)"**.

Witnessing the surprised rise of torrents forming behind her and going at his direction, Naruto jumped using chakra through his feet, while also making hand seals on his own. "**Raiton Jibashi no Jutsu (**Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Pulse Jutsu)". With that, Naruto charged the raiton element through the rapid torrents of Yuugao since water conduct electricity, making Yuugao curse and perform a back flip as to avoid the technique. Quickly, after landing, she threw a couple of shurikens at Naruto who used his trench knifes to try and block them, but one did pass his defenses and imbedded his left arm. "I won this one, Naruto-kun". – Smiled Yuugao as she declared her victory to her rival to which Naruto smiled, even though his arm was slightly hurt because of the shuriken. "It seems so Yuugao-chan. So, can you help me take care of my arm, I'm afraid to remove it" – Asked Naruto for some medical attention, much to Yuugao's sudden alarm, after the heat of the battle died. "Oh, right. Sit down for a while and extend your arms a little for me, would you?" – Said Yuugao as Naruto complied and sit on the ground, extending his wounded arm.

Upon some inspection, Yuugao sighed in relief since the wound was light. After some hand seals, Yuugao's hand became green and she rested both their hands on top of the wound she happened to cause in the first place. Yuugao was thanking her sensei for telling her to learn a medical jutsu, just in case and now she was using it on Naruto. Naruto for his part, was feeling somewhat warmed inside, after sensing Yuugao's hands on his wound. Such a feeling was pretty much foreign to him, but the warming sensation inside him was peaceful and made him smile. After the wound stabilized and the Yuugao extracted the shuriken, they began to talk a little bit about what happened since the last time they sparred. Naruto told her about how scary Anko could be and asked Yuugao if what she said to him was true. Yuugao after hearing this could only nod at her rival and saying that it was Anko's personality and such training would only emphasize her slave driver personality.

It was safe to say that Naruto shivered even more after that, which made Yuugao giggle upon seeing a guy scared of a woman like that. After it, Yuugao shared about her co-op mission with Kurenai, when she got to fight some missing-nins from Suna, using the same suiton jutsu she used on Naruto. As she was explaining the mission contents, Naruto was listening intently, wondering when he would be doing missions like that. Naruto shoved this thought aside, because even though they would be starting to do C ranked missions, it would only be low-level ones, mostly fighting bandits or something like that. Fighting missing-nins it is nothing less than B ranked and Naruto would take a while to be able to do. Resigning his fate, he listened as Yuugao finished her report to the Namikaze, but not the one who should be hearing this.

When she realized that she was supposed to hand the mission report, she panicked for good. "Naruto-kun, I'm sorry, I was supposed to handle a report to Yondaime-sama, oh shit. I have to go, bye" – Screamed Yuugao the last part as she was already sprinting towards the Hokage's office. "See you, Yuugao-chan and the next time I'll win". – Said Naruto as he turned to his house's direction and sprinted. On the way, he concluded to take a look at the new raiton jutsu scroll he earned as a gift from his parents.

* * *

**--At the Hokage's office--**

Minato was doing his paperwork, cursing himself for it the entire time. He couldn't use the kage bunshin, since he wanted to read this reports carefully. All of them were results of the new academy and he wanted to make sure that the new system was enough to improve Konoha's standard genins. As he read, his satisfactory grin went wider each minute, they were no complains about the teachings and both classes managed to graduate at least 80 of the academy students with elemental training already narrowed down. He was content with the results and was imagining the future with such genins now on the shinobi village's bingo book with the same reputation as his own. Yep, life was good.

As he was reading through it, a knock on the door and his secretary appeared saying Yuhhi Kurenai wished to hand in the report, which got Minato concerned since Yuugao wasn't with her. Since Naruto and Yuugao's 'friendly' relationship has initiated, both Minato and Kushina took a considerable time to get to know the purple haired girl that happens to be their son's rival and seeing that Kurenai was alone, Minato feared for the worse, but after a while such feelings stepped aside after hearing a panting kunoichi climbing the nearby stairs to enter inside the office. "Sorry, Hokage-sama, I had to take care of a few things". – Lied Yuugao, who didn't want to say that she was late because she wanted to fight against his son, earning a lifted eyebrow from Kurenai and a suspicious look from the hokage who not only managed to see the look on Kurenai's face and that he had very good interrogation skills. "Yuugao-chan, you wouldn't try to lie to me would you? I thought you're better than doing such a thing". – Said Minato that even though he was smiling, it was clear to both of them that the hokage caught her. "No Hokage-sama, I…." – Began Yuugao but was stopped by the hokage with his hands up. "Just kidding Yuugao-chan, there's no need to feel alarmed about it. Kurenai-chan here already told me about it". – Said the hokage, setting the bait which Kurenai caught but Yuugao didn't.

"Kurenai-chan, how could you tell him about Naru…" – Mumbled Yuugao before putting her hands on her mouth from keeping her of telling the hokage that the reason she was late, which upon hearing Naruto's name, Minato did already get the picture of what happened. "Got you. So how is my son's fighting skills Yuugao-chan, tell me about him. I was actually wondering about that, since it's been some time since I got to see how he bare in a fight". – Asked Minato, now more like a father's wish than a hokage's order, which made Yuugao look at the blonde with a surprised look on his face, but answered anyway. "Naruto-kun right now is adjusting to the 7x gravity seal rather nicely, for a moment there I thought he released it, but he didn't. In our last fight, his fuuton knife taijutsu were on par with my father's kenjutsu stance. As for ninjutsu, his raiton is becoming very proficient, he used a raiton technique that channeled electrical discharge and pointed to the little river I formed with suiton, enhancing the power of the electricity". – Explained Yuugao detailing with precision their last spar for Minato who couldn't help but smile at the vivid and energetic description given to him. Minato could very well see as Yuugao was telling what happened, that her smile never ceased or even diminished, quite on the contrary. "Very good, it seems that you picked quite a rival there Yuugao-chan and with Naruto being exactly your opposite regarding ninjutsu and taijutsu, I would say both of you will benefit from this rather greatly". – Smiled Minato, earning a approval nod from both Kurenai and Yuugao, being the former because of the way that Yuugao talks about Naruto and Yuugao for having someone like Naruto on her life.

"Now, Kurenai-chan, I believe you owe me a report?" – Asked Minato now shifting to the hokage position.

* * *

**--At the Namikaze residence--**

After Naruto arrived, he talked a little bit with Kushina who by the way was reading some medical books, just like she's been doing for some time now. Because of raising Naruto, Kushina never got to harness her skills as a medic-nin and now that her boy was now a genin and wouldn't spend much time at home, she resigned to studying once again and maybe even work at Konoha hospital once again. At first, Kushina was sad that her Naruto wouldn't be home anymore, but she sighed upon figuring that he would spend less time at home as the time passes by. But she knew the life of a shinobi as she happened to marry Minato, who at the time was one of the jounin elite of Konoha.

Kushina learned from Naruto about who would be his sensei and she shivered at the name of Mitarashi Anko. She didn't dislike the girl but if the rumors were true, Anko was known for her rather 'dangerous' persona and she was afraid that Naruto would be killed before getting to leave the village for a mission. After talking and having a quick bite, Naruto went upstairs to pick up the scroll for his new raiton technique and shunshined to the garden.

Kushina for her spot, tended to look at her son with a hint of pride on her face. She knew Naruto's little chakra warm-up which initiated with normal chakra meditation and then proceeding to elemental chakra meditation, either one of Naruto's chakra affinities. Naruto for his part was found sitting down and began the calm breathing process in order to initiate the meditation and the elemental chakra gathering. As he began his meditation, Naruto turned to channel lightning chakra through his chakra coils and circulate them to travel through his entire body. As he closed his eyes in concentration, he was able to hear the sound of electricity travelling through his body. Naruto once applied too much chakra throughout his body and electrical pulses surrounded his body (try to imagine DBZ Gohan's SSJ2 transformation). Now being able to focus his chakra better, Naruto opened his eyes and continued the chakra flow as a way of such control becoming similar to fuuton chakra and be able to read the scroll without having to do it all over again. Because of Naruto's natural affinity for wind, he still had some trouble shifting elemental affinities. It seemed that Naruto actually had to stop the flow of fuuton chakra just so he could use raiton. But by doing this, his control was improving.

As he read through the scroll, he learned that the **Raiton Ikazuki Butoukai Hou no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Thunder ball cannon Jutsu) actually involved not only control over the element but also shape manipulation, something he still didn't know how to do it. Upon realizing this, he was slightly upset, but refrained himself over behaving like this because he couldn't use such a jutsu yet. But, since his mind was still pondering on raiton techniques, he remembered when he forced chakra out of his body that day and wondered if he could do that to use together with a punch or any other taijutsu kata for that manner. So, Naruto closed his eyes once again and channeled chakra to one of his fists. Upon reaching its destination, Naruto turned to focus on using a big enough surge of chakra and like magic, Naruto's hands began to shine as electrical discharges seemed to come out of his palm. When he opened his eyes, he saw his hand and then turned to a wooden dummy that was abandoned. Deciding to test the raiton punch, he charged the dummy while preparing to land the punch.

Kushina was reading her book when the door bell rang and Kushina went to answer it. As she opened the door, she saw the little Nara genius and her mother who greeted her and expressed the pretension of a little visit. Nodding in appreciation, Kushina lead the two to the living room, but what the three of them saw after looking at the garden was an image they wouldn't forget. There Naruto was sprinting very fast with what appeared to be a raiton charged fist towards the target represented by a wooden dummy. As the fist made contact, it was safe to say that the dummy simply disintegrated, exploded, ceased to exist.

Naruto was smiling like hell over this. He didn't know if such a technique was already invented or not, but Naruto did wanted to take credit for it in case it wasn't. Seriously, the possibilities were endless with such technique. With it, Naruto could make a raiton kick, raiton roundhouse kick. For the name, Naruto decided that such technique would be called **Raiton Raikou Dageki no Jutsu (**Lightning Style: Lightning Strike Jutsu). Since the technique still involved considerable amount of chakra, Naruto labeled unofficially as a B ranked jutsu, but his father's words would be the one who decided. As he turned towards the house, he came to see three heads looking at him like he had two extra heads.

* * *

**--On the next day--**

Naruto awoke and got out of his bed. Jumping through the hygiene routine, he went downstairs to do his morning training routine as a way of warming up. Today would be the day his sensei Anko would test him to see his abilities and he needed to be warmed up for it. As Naruto was taking a morning jog around morning Konoha (6:00 am) with the 7x gravity seal active working wonders on his body, he was feeling something strange like he knew he was being watched. Little did he know that Uchiha Itachi was near the premised while on patrol around the compound.

Itachi for his part, was smiling upon seeing such determination within Naruto seeing that the genin woke up early in order to train. Itachi was slowly but surely condemning every single important clan in Konoha, simply because every member of such clans were either depending on their bloodline or using their political image as a way to improve their status in Konoha. Even Itachi's brother Sasuke who was supposed to even surpass his brother in talent once, nowadays he was blind only wanting the power of the sharingan. And for those who think Itachi is being hypocrite, he is not. Even though his fighting style relies on the sharingan, Itachi trained his body until exhaustion every single day of his life. Itachi was thanking Kami from at least saving one from total idiocy and laziness.

Naruto for his part, had returned home and took some breakfast. After a few time, Naruto went to the scheduled training area where his team was supposed to meet, by preferring on a slightly more aggressive approach. Naruto used four times the fuuton shunshin no jutsu and appeared at the training ground, only to see the snake mistress Anko sitting on a rather large rock while eating some breakfast dango. Upon reaching her destination, she suddenly was aware of someone near him only to see a cool and tranquil face of a certain genin with his hands inside his pockets, staring at her direction as he was about to initiate the conversation. "Good morning, Anko-sensei?" – Greeted Naruto making Anko look down and acknowledge his presence. "Naruto, you're here already? You're one hour early, you could've used it better, but seeing that you're here, we may start our little test. Since teamwork is not a problem, we shall move to ninjutsu and taijutsu training. As you probably do or do not know, my teachings to you regarding ninjutsu will be inexistent, seeing that I do not know fuuton or raiton techniques, since I'm a fire person with good knowledge of doton techniques. But we will train with all the other ninja arts, taijutsu, speed, stealth, endurance, stamina, enhancing chakra reserves, all in due time."

As Anko were explaining Naruto's genin training, he wasn't going to complain about the non-existent ninjutsu training, simply because of his fuuton ninjutsu book as well as the fact that he just acquired a new raiton scroll and developed a new jutsu which according to Minato, who demanded a demonstration after hearing about the **Raiton Raikou Dageki no Jutsu** (Lightning Style: Thunder Strike Jutsu), considered the technique to be a B ranked one and set Kakashi to add such technique to the ninjutsu archive by the name of its creator. Minato was proud of the boy who like himself was beginning in the art of jutsu creation. Back to Anko's explanation, Naruto was actually looking more forward to physical skills enhancement. "It's okay, Anko-sensei. I was actually counting on more physical training anyway. I have been doing some at home but by fighting against you, Yuugao-chan and Neji, I'll be fast and strong in no time at all". – Said Naruto, expressing determination towards his future training regime.

"Okay, then gaki. Seeing that we got at least one hour to kill, what do you say we test your abilities with a spar". – Said Anko to which Naruto smiled and nodded in acceptance. Naruto knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against her even if he released his gravity seal but since she wanted to test his skills, he had to go all out, also as to measure his capacity against a stronger foe. "Okay, Anko-sensei, but first I've got to do something". – Said Naruto, deactivating the 7x gravity seal and gravity suddenly wasn't even there for him. It was forever since Naruto took off the gravity seal and now Naruto was feeling like he could fly. Anko for her part, noticed something different about him, she saw his shoulders lift like Naruto was lifting weights. It was strange for her seeing that Naruto was like this, his whole time at the academy and already came to a scary conclusion…the boy was holding back. "I can see now why Yuugao likes to fight you so much, assume your stance Naruto, let's begin". – Said Anko before watching Naruto fetching his twin knife while channeling with fuuton chakra. "Already am, Anko-sensei". Anko was searching inside her mind to recognize such style since she already saw Asuma using it, but as Yuugao said, with Naruto you could never assume anything.

Deciding on starting the fight, Anko charged Naruto by running towards him in a straight line before dashing to the right, in order for Naruto to lose sight of her just for her to find an opening to his defensive, but being adjusted to speeds even with the gravity seal, Naruto followed her movement and just lifted the left knife a little as to block any chance of attacking, much to Anko's both disappointment and also happiness, being the first because of her failed attempt to attack him and the second because she saw how good Naruto's close combat skills are. Deciding to change the tactic, Anko backed away and threw three kunais towards Naruto in a way to test his defensive abilities regarding projectiles. Upon seeing the kunais approaching, Naruto focused on looking at the distance between each one of them and blocked them using his twin knifes to cut the kunais in half as each of them were approaching. Naruto, after that, turned to charge the opponent, while still with his defensive up, being that a wise advice from his father. After he reached a close distance to Anko, using his right knife, Naruto began a slashing vertical motion, which Anko defended with her kunai, only to see the kunai split in two because of the strength of the attack. Deciding to test his ninjutsu skills, Anko jumped back while making speed hand seals, screaming **Doton Doryuudan no Jutsu (**Earth Style: Earth Dragon Projectile Jutsu**), **making a mud dragon head appear and throw rapid mud balls at Naruto who were also making his own set of seals for a defensive jutsu. "**Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu (**Wind Style: Wind Barrier Jutsu**)**.

Since Anko never got to see Naruto's techniques, when she saw two typhoons spinning side by side, creating a shield in front of Naruto, she was mesmerized. As the mud balls approached, one by one was being overwhelmed by the wind shield and ended up disintegrating. Naruto, remembering on a fuuton ninjutsu strategy once, decided to implement it. Anko was thinking on using a katon technique, since Naruto wouldn't be able to counter using fuuton, when she noticed that Naruto's defensive jutsu was still on and creating an air current towards her that at first was like a little breeze, however as Naruto was pumping more chakra, the typhoons were spinning faster, enhancing the wind, transforming the breezed to a gust of wind. Because of the force of the wind, Anko was having problems seeing, since the strong wind was making it difficult for her to let her eyes open, leaving Naruto with the opportunity to finish his plan. Since Naruto's natural affinity for wind, he was able to stop one jutsu and then engage on another one in little time. Naruto stopped the flow for the defensive jutsu, leaving Anko close to two seconds to breathe normally, but not enough time to realize Naruto's now enhanced fuuton technique.

**Flashback on**

Naruto, after returning to his house, after a little spar with Yuugao, was at his room reading his fuuton ninjutsu book. Whether was coincidence or not, Naruto went straight to the page that explained the daitoppa. As he looked upon the information, he realized that such part he already knew and moved to flip the page, but as he flipped the page, he managed to see a paragraph that he didn't read before.

'The fuuton daitoppa is a C level ninjutsu, which applied the correct chakra, the ninja exhales a strong gust of wind towards the enemy. But recently, it was discovered that upon further use of chakra, the technique become stronger. The gust of wind now is a wind storm and the enemy must think quickly if he doesn't want to get caught in it. This new version of the daitoppa is a B level ninjutsu called….

**Flashback off**

"**Fuuton Chakra Daitoppa no Jutsu (**Wind Style: Enhanced Breaktrough Jutsu**)" – **Screamed Naruto, as he began to exhale the huge wind storm towards Anko, taking some chunks of the ground and the some small trees with it. Anko for her part, found herself in a difficult situation, since because of the strong wind, she couldn't move. Resorting to a low level technique to escape the wind's wrath, Anko managed to escape seconds before being dragged by the wind. After the wind died so as half the landscape, Naruto kneeled from slight chakra exhaustion. Such technique, even though a B ranked one, Naruto ended up using more than was necessary, since he never used it before.

Anko for her part was dumbfounded upon seeing the destruction of Naruto's technique. When she looked to a panting Naruto, sitting down to rest, she was remembering about Naruto's two chakra affinities and the fact the only elemental technique she saw him doing was a B ranked raiton attack that also happened to do a little landscape on the place.

Now kneeling next to him, Anko rest her hands on his shoulders and smiled, saying that the test was over and that she could get a good grasp of his abilities, as she concluded Naruto to be close to middle range fighter, but with a possible long ranged if needed be. Anko realized that all three genins had good knowledge on close combat situations, so she could change the attack patterns and train all of them on different fighting approaches.

A few minutes later, Tenten and Neji arrived at the training ground and made their test as well, but since they weren't so developed in elemental ninjutsu as Naruto was, it was easy to assess their abilities and train them accordingly to their element. For this two, Anko would train them in elemental katon for Tenten and doton for Neji, since the former was her affinity and the latter was an element she had good knowledge about.

"Okay, team 5. Now that I've seen each one's abilities, we can begin our training and doing C ranked missions from Konoha. Seeing that today was about test of skills, we'll begin elemental teaching for both of you. Now, I know you two got a grasp at the final year of the academy, but in order to become proficient with the element, training until exhaustion is what we're going to do. Naruto, seeing that you had lost a considerable part of your chakra, please rest a bit, we'll wake you up when the times comes for us to split ways. And so on, Naruto was sleeping and Anko was dividing her attention between teaching katon to Tenten and doton to Neji.

* * *

**-The next day at the Hokage's office--**

After Team 5 met at the training ground, all of them went straight to the Hokage's office so they could 'fetch' a C ranked mission, the _first _C ranked mission. As they entered the office, Naruto was somewhat nervous after seeing his father sitting on the hokage's desk, while looking as professional as a hokage should be. "Team 5 reporting for duty, Hokage-sama" – Greeted Anko presenting her team, to which the hokage smiled at the sight of a team with such promise on the future. "Oh, team 5. Ok, let's see here. Right, here we go. Anko, bandit camp northwest of here 20 miles. There has been some illegal action running down there and we need to clear the bandit camp. My orders are capture the chief and dispose of the rest of them" – Explained the Hokage, earning surprising looks from Naruto, who never heard such voice from his father, but to his dismay, he would have to behave like a Konoha shinobi, taking orders from the hokage or else quit the ninja program which was something Naruto just was afraid to think of such a thing. "Hai Hokage-sama. Ok gakis, pack for a one week travel from here to our rendezvous point. Meet me in half an hour at the west gate." "Hai, Anko-sensei".

* * *

**--At the west gate--**

Half an hour later, Neji was the first to arrive at the premises. Naruto, Anko and Tenten was still to arrive. After a moment, Neji arrived followed by Naruto and then Tenten. As they acknowledged each other's presence, Anko turned to them signaling for them to move on toward his this objective. "Let's go. We have a lot of ground to move". – Said Anko as they were jumping thorugh high trees an such.


	8. First Kill

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* * *

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Chap

**ter 8 – First Kill**

As team 5 was progressing through the Land of Fire's forest, Naruto was taking a look in what looked like a 360 degrees vision. Since his father was the hokage and the constant iwa attacks on him, Naruto wasn't allowed to pass the Konoha gates, much less go there alone. Now, that he graduated at the academy and became a genin, he was feeling better than ever. Finally, he would see the results of his training in real life. Naruto was also worried that now that he was out in missions that he would be out in the open for attacks from iwa shinobis now that he would be out of the village. Upon looking at his comrades, he was able to spot Neji's smile to which he could only conclude that Neji was as excited as he was. Take care of bandits, was the first fighting mission the boys had and they were already feeling the adrenaline that would come with it. Tenten was focused on her path, but unlike Neji and Naruto, she wasn't feeling excited.

Anko for her part, was taking her time to take a look at her team to evaluate them. Since they were able to follow her pace, she applauded them in terms of speed and stamina. Naruto was in fact the exception, of course, since he was with the gravity seal activated and he was able to keep up was a feat alone. Neji and Tenten were good as well. Anko felt proud of her team right now, all of them got good fighting skills. Neji with his jyuuken style and Tenten with weapons, but one thing she would have to teach them is that ninjutsu is valuable in a battle, just as taijutsu and kenjutsu. Naruto being the ninjutsu specialist in his two affinities didn't need that, but some help in taijutsu for him would be in order. Anko felt that his twin knife style of fighting suited him well, but if somehow he lost those knifes, he needed to be able to use his fists as well.

Upon seeing Naruto with a slightly worried face, she felt sad for the boy. She knew how Iwa was constantly wanting to either kill him or kidnap him, for what his father the Hokage did to the Iwa back in the last great shinobi war and she hoped that they would never run into any iwa shinobi, at least not strong ones, until Naruto improved his fighting skills. It was good that he knew some wide-area effecting jutsus, so he could use it to escape, but she had to look for the others as well, so team 5 could very well be Iwa's target. Not to mention that Kumo wanted their hands on the byakugan, which mean that Neji would be a target as well. Anko was remembering a conversation with the Hokage and Neji's father Hizashi.

**Flashback on**

Anko was heading for the hokage's office after being summoned for an emergency. She was worried as hell for what could've happened. When he entered the office, she was greeted by the hokage and Neji's father on his side. They were wearing a serious face and something told Anko that she wouldn't like the news. "Anko-san, I understand that you wanted to be Team 5's jounin sensei, but I and my friend here are worried about attacks from other villages on our sons. Iwa and Kumo may be aware of our sons becoming a genin and going outside on missions and they can send enemies to attack your team just because of who is on your team. I'm not saying that you aren't capable of protecting them, but I ask that you use Neji's abilities so that you guys can avoid iwa and kumo forces from trying to do harm to your team. For what Hizashi here told me, he trained Neji farther that any byakugan user, so that his eyes will be of extreme aid to your team." – Said Minato, receiving nods from Hizashi and a smile from Anko.

"Hokage-sama, I'm very well aware of Iwa and Kumo's acts concerning Neji and Naruto, but I can guarantee that those two will become the strongest ninjas here in Konoha. I've fought with both of them and believe or not, Naruto's ninjutsu level is on par with my own and Neji's taijutsu is better than most of high-chunnin levels here in the village. But Hizashi-sama, I see that Neji has a doton affinity, I could teach him how to use it, so that he wouldn't be dependent on the jyuuken style of fighting." – Asked Anko, looking at the face of the head of the Hyuuga's branch family with caution, since the man could very well scare everyone just by looking at the person. "The jyuuken it's in our family for generations, but I'm very well aware of the fact that ninjutsu is obligatory in a ninja's curriculum. I regret not learning ninjutsu on my time, I have a wind affinity, but regarding your request, I grant you authorization to teach Neji doton techniques, he would be the future of the Hyuuga clan, after all". – Said Hizashi, smiling at his son's sensei. "You know Hizashi-sama, Naruto is very proficient on fuuton ninjutsu, he could teach you". – Said Anko as a joke, but she didn't expect what she saw next, since Hizashi was actually considering the idea. "Maybe, Anko-san, but I'm too old to know new techniques, don't you think Minato-san?" – Asked Hizashi, not realizing that he just told a joke to which Minato cursed his ever stoic friend for. "Leave it to you to tell a joke and not even realize it, Hizashi-san. Anko-san, be careful out there okay, that's all."

**Flashback off**

Anko now felt like talking to the boys so she called them up to a conversation. "Neji, Naruto, come here for a second, will you?" – Asked Anko, sounding serious. After Neji and Naruto slowed down to keep with her pace. "I'm sure you guys understand that our team will be a target for other villages. Naruto, Iwa wants to kill you for what Hokage-sama did to them and Neji, Kumo wants the byakugan for them, so we'll step training for team 5 and Neji use your byakugan for scout all around. If you see any of Kumo or Iwa shinobi, warn me, okay." – Said Anko to which Neji and Naruto got serious all of a sudden. "Anko-sensei, do you think that Kumo would want to risk another war just for my eyes?" – Asked Neji, being enraged of Kumo, since their attempt on Hinata's kidnapping attempt. "I afraid so, Neji but with your byakugan, we will not run into them, at least until you guys could be good enough to fetch for yourselves".

As Anko was talking to Naruto and Neji about training harder, Tenten was scowling about showing favoritism for them and leave her be, before hearing Anko reach to her and start talking. "Don't you think you'll be off the hook, Tenten-san. You're a fire type like me and I'll train you to the bone as well". – Said Anko, before seeing a devious smile coming from Tenten, to which Anko smiled as well, seeing a lot of herself in this girl.

After some time travelling, it was night time and the team went to camp near the upcoming lake. Neji and Naruto went out to grab some fish for dinner, so Tenten and Anko stayed to fix the tents. Tenten was wondering about Naruto and Neji being targets from other villages, since she was one as well from being on their team of genins. She was on one side, excited for the fighting they would be doing but she was slightly scared if somehow they come to face chunnins or even jounins from other villages, meaning that they could get captured, tortured or even killed. Anko, seeing this, came to talk to her in order to assure her that Naruto and Neji are strong guys and that she was a jounin who if worse come to happen, she would protect them.

After a while, Naruto and Neji arrived with a whole bucket of fishes and Naruto smiling from ear to ear and wet, since he was the one who got to catch them, throw them out of the water and Neji for throwing the shuriken to trap the fishes on the trees. Anko smiled at the creativity and joked on a new meaning to fly fishing, earning laughs from everyone except of course Neji, who needed something really funny in order to laugh (quite like Naruto's mom chasing him and the almighty hokage with a kitchen knife). "Okay, guys. Tenten and I will share one tent and you two will share the other. Naruto, you will be the first to keep in watch then I'll switch with you, okay". – Said Anko, not able to see that Naruto wouldn't want that. "Ah, Anko-sensei would you mind if I keep watching all night, would you?" – Asked Anko, scratching the back of his head because of the supposedly weird request, but since Anko remembered him saying as well as Yuugao, that Naruto liked watching the full moon, such a request wasn't a surprise. "Ok, Naruto, but you should rest tomorrow we'll defend the village from the mob of bandits. Tell you what, we'll switch, but after I wake up, you can sleep a little bit, okay." – Said Anko, smiling towards the blonde.

As everyone went to their tents, Naruto went to a tree nearby and looked up feeling mesmerized at the sight. There it was, the moon illuminating the entire forest with all its glory. Naruto was suddenly smiling towards the idea of becoming a werewolf even it were a joke from his father. Each time he looked at it, he seemed to be hypnotized every moment of it.

* * *

**--With Yuugao--**

Back at Konoha, one purple-haired woman was caught sleeping on her house. She was exhausted from training with her father on top of a lake nearby her house. She was currently learning on how to adapt her fighting style to the water, with that being wild like a water current and calm as the water on the surface. Tomorrow, she would be on a mission with her old team and she was excited to catch up with them. Aoba was with his new team, but Genma and Kurenai would come with her on a B ranked mission towards Kusa territory to capture a missing-nin that left Konoha three years ago from attacking a fellow Konoha nin and almost killed him. But now she was asleep peacefully and dreaming just like everyone.

'_Yuugao was jumping through the rooftops and heading towards the Hokage's office when a blonde blur passed in front of her. Naruto was in her life at first like a mission, then as a rival and then a friend, but also with the rival part. Without saying anything, Naruto reached for his twin knifes and attacked her. Not one to lose, Yuugao took off her sword and defended the fierce attack that was about to chop her head off. After defending, she used a suiton attack that obliged Naruto to jump away, while making some hand seals and sending an electrical current towards her. Yuugao always felt strange when she fought Naruto and she was always happy while fighting him and she felt somewhat at piece while sparring with him. After Yuugao escaped the raiton attack, Naruto rushed towards her direction without his knifes with a fist aiming her face. Not one to refuse a challenge, Yuugao kept her sword and got into defensive taijutsu. Because of the speed he was coming, she ended up having to defend the punch and because of gravity force, Yuugao ended up falling on the ground and Naruto…on top of her. Their eyes crossed and both of them just kept staring at one another. For some reason, Yuugao watched such eyes and was hypnotized at the sight. But as she was looking at his eyes, she noticed that Naruto's head was benching down and from out of nowhere, started to give Yuugao a most passionate kiss and surprisingly, she returned it. _

Because of it, she woke up like she had a nightmare, but she woke up surprised as hell. _"What the hell was that? Naruto…kissing me"_. Yuugao was feeling her lips as like Naruto had actually kissed her and she was feeling strange all of a sudden.

* * *

**--With Naruto--**

As Naruto was looking straight at the full moon, he felt something else entirely. He felt like someone was thinking of him, little did he know that Kami was a weird person and she wanted to show two people something. Anko had already awakened and started searching for the blonde just to see him on top of a tree log looking up towards the full moon. Anko took the opportunity to see what Yuugao said to her some time ago. As Anko continue to stare deeply at Naruto's face, she found him being somehow more relaxed, like all the world's pain and suffering couldn't even reach him. Anko smiled upon seeing such a look from a ten year old. Of course she would expect this coming from an experienced shinobi who killed countless times and been through enough suffering, but not from a person like Naruto. Resolving on herself to see the full moon just as Naruto does it, she decided to look at it to see what's so beautiful about it that he couldn't take his eyes off it. Sure it was beautiful and all but it wasn't newsworthy of dignified, well not according to Anko anyway. "Naruto, tell me what do you see in it?" – Asked Anko, surprising the blonde as well as wanting to know about it.

"The full moon for me is wonderful in its own way. It illuminates just as the sun light and it's ten times as peaceful as the sun. When I look at it, I seem to forget about everything and just focus on its beauty. I know you'll say that I didn't see much in life and you're right, I didn't. But since I was 4-5 years old, I've been facing the full moon and each time I see it, I've become more attached to it. Imagine this scenery Anko-sensei, the moon light illuminating the forest and the wind lifting the leaves and carrying them through the field in a calm and peaceful way and then make it float until the leaf rests on the ground. That's a dream that I want to see with my own eyes". – Said Naruto, showing to Anko the most genuile smile she had ever seen on her life. As she was paying attention to him while he was smiling, she was able to see the moon reflecting on his blue eyes and became completely lost. How could a boy be like this, he has the power to cause enough destruction and yet exhale so much peace from his body. Anko didn't know yet but Naruto was constantly exhaling fuuton chakra from his body, making a nice and calm air breeze surround his features, but she could only smile at such a presence. "Such a sight, indeed Naruto, you never cease to interest me, but tell me when the full moon is up, don't you sleep at all?" – Asked Anko, now worried about the mission. "Of course, I sleep, but only after I accomplish something". – Said Naruto, returning to face the full moon now with his eyes closed and a smile.

Anko for her part was wondering what was it that he intended to accomplish until she felt that the air current suddenly increased. Upon seeing him, Anko could see that Naruto was with his eyes closed and smiling, though he was exhaling more and more fuuton chakra up to a point that a little typhoon was being created around him. As the current was improving, Anko was feeling a little déjà vú from their spar back then and wondered if Naruto could control the wind because of his affinity. She read upon a time about natural affinities, but never got to see in person. Now she was sure to ask Hokage about it, seeing that Naruto seems to be the one controlling the air current to his will which was strange, seeing that even though the current was strong, Naruto was at peace with himself. Little did she know that inside Naruto's chakra coils, the air current was travelling around it, therefore making Naruto feel as if the wind itself was making him calm? Naruto for his part enjoyed such feeling immensely. After some time, he opened his eyes and saw Anko struggling to keep on the tree log while facing a now visible strong air current, so he stopped the flow of chakra and the wind current stopped, making Anko relax. "There, now I'm satisfied, I'm going to sleep Anko-sensei. See you in the morning, okay?" – Said Naruto, as he jumped from where he was, leaving Anko to her thoughts and her for not realizing the size of such a fall and turned to look for her genin student to see if he got hurt, only to see him falling surprisingly slowly than usual. It was like he was floating towards the ground, just like the leaf he described and land graciously on the floor going to his tent.

"Quite a guy you are Naruto. I can see what Yuugao saw in you and I can very well see why she has feelings for you, even if she doesn't realize it yet." – Said Anko as she witnessed Naruto opening his tent and getting inside. Now turning to guarding mode, Anko lied on the tree and felt surprisingly in peace with herself, it felt like the air current drift out every negative emotion and just left a clean and sweet air.

* * *

**--At the next day--**

Since Anko was up already, she got down and started a little fire with a simple katon jutsu and made breakfast for the team. Neji was the first to awake and bit good morning to his sensei. Naruto was second and joined them for breakfast. Tenten, being a heavy sleeper came last and sit with them. "Okay, now that we're all good and ready, we'll clean our stuff and any clues of our presence here, since we don't want anyone to know we've been here. After that, we'll head for our target. Two miles from here, there is a big group of bandits that kidnapped a village nearby. We don't know it any missing-nin or regular shinobi is there, but if they appear, leave it to me, you guys are to take care of the bandits, okay?" – After a nod, they proceeded to their destination point.

As they reached the target, they were able to see the entrance of the village with three bandits guarding it. Seeing as a test for her team, she advised them to take them out quietly. After a nod and three blurs, Neji took care of his with a quick jyuuken strike near a pressure point, numbing the guy, taking him out. Naruto took his out by applying enough raiton chakra on a pressure point to render the guy useless. Tenten used a senbon and put hers in near death state. Remembering to applaud her students after the mission, she appeared and signaled them to move forward and stop near a small cabinet near them, which could very well be some other bandits inside. After looking through the window, she spotted two more and signaled Tenten and Neji to take care of them quickly with senbons and jyuuken. Upon the mission procedure, Anko was having a bad omen, something showing her that a shinobi was near them, but where from and which level she was not sure. Tying the bandits down, Anko and the gang proceeded to the next cabinet very quick as to not arouse suspicion.

As they arrived, it was Naruto's turn to take the single bandit inside and he did exactly as before applying raiton chakra on a pressure point, rendering the guy useless and tying him up inside. Seeing that seven bandits were down, Anko signaled for a regroup and told them that the next ones will be in groups and they would have to split up and proceed in doubles being Naruto/Neji and Anko/Tenten. Anko instructed for them to attack from different directions as to corner them. Anko told them that she would cast a genjutsu inside the large dome so as to blind the ones inside. After the group got into position, Anko opened the door a little bit as to cast the genjutsu inside. "**Kokuangyou no Jutsu (**Journey Into Black Darkness Technique). With that, the entire room went dark and Team 5 move to do their job with Anko using straight taijutsu, Neji with precise jyuuken strikes and Naruto with raiton strikes, hitting pressure points. Since the enemy was useless since they didn't see anything, team 5 was able to take all of them down and Anko dispelled the technique afterwards.

Seeing that everyone was down, Team 5 was going out, when some kunais flew at them. "Evasive maneuver" – Screamed Anko as she along with everyone dodged the kunais and landed towards the supposed attackers. Seeing that they didn't have headbands, Anko assumed that they were tougher bandits. "Anko-sensei, they are using a genjutsu on their foreheads, Kai!" – Screamed Naruto, as he remembered Kurenai's lessons on the subject. With the genjutsu dispelled, the ninja's forehead, appeared a headband with iwa insignia and a cross, showing that they are missing-nins. "Oh look, brother, they saw through our genjutsu, but it appear…well isn't it our lucky day, not only we got rid out of these bandits, but we got ourselves the Yellow Flash's son right in front of us. We can use him to grant our way inside Iwa and even be called heroes". – Said one of the iwa ninjas, making Naruto close his fists in anger from being a target yet again. Anko for her part recognized these two from Iwa's bingo book. They were known as the boulder brothers, known worldwide for their teamwork and devastating attacks. She was cursing himself from being in this situation before she felt Naruto releasing his gravity seal, showing her that the boy was ready for a fight. Since Naruto had raiton affinity as well, he would be most suited for fighting against iwa-nins.

"So, let's capture our prize, brother." – Said the other iwa-nin as he got ready to attack. Naruto for his part was serious now and studying who should be his partner for this. Tenten was good with weapons, but he needed someone fast for this. He knew that lightning won against earth, but he was not sure of victory just because he had the element superiority. "Neji, I need you against them, they seem to attack in pairs, so here is my plan. As soon as they attack, I'll use a raiton attack to disable them, after that, you attack them with jyuuken and disable them, got it". – Said Naruto, receiving a smirk and an affirmative nod from Neji who got in his jyuuken stance. "Let's go brother." – Screamed the first as they hardened their body and then charged against the two leaf-nins. "**Raiton Dageki Mahi no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Shock Paralysis Jutsu)" – Said Naruto, as he touched both the opponents with open palm, sending an electrical current through their bodies, paralyzing them instantly. Seeing an opening, Neji got behind them and gave them a jyuuken strike each, disabling one of them instantly, but the other got rid of the shock and moved quickly, avoiding the strike, punching Neji with his hands hardened by an earth jutsu, sending him straight through the wall, breaking some ribs in the process. Now mad because of the attack, the remaining iwa-nin rushed to attack Neji and deliver the killing blow, much to everyone's dismay, since no one would be able to reach him in time.

Naruto, seeing that was no other way, took one of his knifes and while focusing with fuuton chakra, he aimed and threw the knife with extreme force and anger towards the iwa-nin with the intent to kill him. As the opponent was going to reach Neji, suddenly Naruto's knife stroke through him and pierced his body, killing him instantly. Anko and Tenten, upon seeing Naruto's quick reaction, were quite surprised to see him do such a thing. Naruto's first kill and it was his first mission. Anko was already seeing that some conversation was in order for the blonde prodigy, since it was his first kill and every ninja pass through this one time or another. Neji and Tenten looked at Naruto while he went to reach his knife looking down the entire them. As he arrived near the now dead body of the iwa-nin, he kneeled down and retrieved his now drenched in blood knife and turned to look at it. Because of the heat of battle, Naruto didn't realize the repercussions of his actions and now upon looking at the bloody knife, he was trembling with fear. Sure he didn't like iwa-nins and their revenge on his father, but the man was going to kill Neji, so he killed the guy. But still, taking a life wasn't easy and even though Naruto heard it from Aoba and Hizashi, he was feeling the burden of taking a man's life and of course it was horrible. Anko went to see if Neji was okay and sighed in relief upon seeing that a few minor ribs were broken. Giving him a little patch up, she lifted Neji and both of them turned to see Naruto, who was still looking at the drenched knife in horror.

"Naruto, let's go, the mission is accomplished". – Said Anko, as she collected the first one's head and killed the other with a fast and deadly snake poison in order to collect the reward later. As the team was leaving with Tenten aiding Neji in walking, Anko tended to awake Naruto for his wondering and took a still horrified Naruto outside for one last camp until they arrived home. As they made camp, Tenten and Anko settled Neji in a tent and Tenten stayed with him to treat him, while Anko went back to see how Naruto was doing, only to see him still staring at the drenched knife like he was seeing a ghost of the man he just killed. "Naruto, don't be like this. You did great. You saved Neji from certain death. Trust me, the first kill is tough to swallow, but as a ninja, there will be certain things you need to do and killing is one of them". – Said Anko, trying to calm him down but to no avail. "I…I know that Anko-sensei, but still every time I look at his blood, the scene just keeps playing in my mind and the thought of killing someone in cold blood like that, is terrifying". – Said Naruto, as tears starts falling, much to Anko's dismay as she remembered feeling like that on his first kill. "I see. This is just one of the obstacles you have to face as a shinobi Naruto, I may be here with you as also Yuugao-chan, Kurenai-chan, your teammates, your parents but we can only go so far as to guide you and guide you only, it's you who have to face the obstacles in life. Now, let's try and take some sleep, tomorrow I intend for us to reach Konoha until nightfall". – Said Anko as she left Naruto to his thoughts, but stopped when the blonde addressed to her. "Anko-sensei….thank you" – Said Naruto, not at all forgetting about what happened, but now he was learning to cope with it a little better. "You don't need to thank me Naruto, what you did was wonderful, your instincts are what make you a good ninja and I can see great things coming from you, Naruto. Now go to sleep".

* * *

**--On the next day--**

When the sun appeared, team 5 was already jumping through the tress fast, since they wanted to reach Konoha faster. Anko was already thinking on a training schedule for each one of her team and a devious smile appeared on her face. She was wondering if what she said to Naruto was enough, the boy was a natural and she wished she could be of more help but after thinking about it, it's he who has to overcome this on his own. Neji was travelling close to Tenten, since his broken ribs were annoying a bit. As Neji looked towards Naruto's direction, he felt like thanking him for saving his life, but he was remembering Naruto's face after killing that man and could only leave him be for the moment. He remembered his father telling them about this feeling and could only hope that his ultimate rival could cope with such a thing in time for their next mission. Also Neji was beating himself from missing the last one's vital area with the jyuuken, he was so confident that he would hit him, that he forgot to make sure that he hit the right spot. Neji thought that Naruto was like this because of his inability and underestimating the enemy and Naruto paid the price for his incompetence.

Tenten for her part was thinking about Naruto's quick movements, since she didn't ever see him moving. She only saw him grabbing what appeared to be a knife and then the knife glowed white. After that, the next thing she saw was the knife piercing through the enemy and killing him as a result. She knew about Naruto's gravity seal, but she was wondering if such a thing could improve his speed as much as it did for Naruto. She hoped to learn such a training ability when Naruto stopped worrying about his first kill.

As soon as the sun was falling, Konoha was visible and team 5 reached the gates. Showing to the guards, all the legal papers and documentation, as well as stating the mission they participated, the team went inside and went straight for the Hokage's office.

* * *

**--At the Hokage's office--**

Inside the office, Minato was hearing about the mission report and was astounded to hear that the boulder brothers were there and they attacked Naruto with the intent of kidnapping him and go back to Iwa as heroes. Minato heard that Naruto killed one of them in order to save Neji's life and sighed, since he was afraid of something like that happening so soon in his life. Naruto was a talented shinobi and having such a burden to face with only ten years old was tough. After the report, Minato decided to upgrade the mission to a B ranked one, since there were C ranked missing-nins involved as well as paying Naruto and Anko for the bounties on the boulder brothers seeing that they killed one each and dismissed the team, before seeing a sad Naruto simply vanishing inside a little tornado and sighed since Naruto would have to face such a burden being only ten. "Hokage-sama, Naruto is a strong one; he'll get through this, now if you excuse us." – Said Anko, receiving a smile and a nod dismissing them.

As the team left, Yuugao, Kurenai and Genma appeared at the office, giving the scroll with the captured missing-nin, therefore completing the mission. As she arrived near Anko, Yuugao turned to ask about her team's mission, so Anko gave her a report of the mission and Naruto's condition right now. Now showing concern for the blonde and remembering about her dream, she figured that she should see where he was and talk to him. Thinking of that, Yuugao left the office and went to reach for the blonde genin.

* * *

**--At the Hokage monument--**

Seated on top of the Yondaime's head, Naruto was wondering about what Anko told him and the look that his father showed after the report. Minato's face was similar with his own, which to Naruto he concluded that the first kill was a path to be walked through on your own. Now taking his knife which was already cleaned, Naruto could still see the blood dripping and instantly remembered the scene again.

Yuugao for her part was looking for the blonde, but she was having difficulty finding him. Naruto is he wanted to be alone then no one would be able to find him. But Yuugao knew about the places that he went, seeing that some, they went together to fight. Since the waterfall was out, Yuugao thought of the Hokage monument as the last place he could be. Upon looking up, she managed to see the blonde looking at the knife and sighed seeing that perhaps he killed the enemy with it. "Here you are Naruto-kun? Anko told me all about it, how are you feeling?" – Asked Yuugao as she kneeled side by side with him. "I can see Yuugao-chan, I can see his blood drenching my knife. I killed the man in cold blood, Yuugao-chan". – Said Naruto as he turned to hug her with all intensity, surprising her, since she never saw him do this before, Naruto was always a strong person, but the first kill was a path that for most was impossible to not give its importance so she did the only thing she could do and hugged him back. Right now, she was having this strange feeling upon hugging him. Naruto for his part had calmed down now since he had the support of Yuugao.

"Thanks Yuugao-chan, I needed that." – Said Naruto, appreciating it, much to her somehow happiness from being able to help him in more ways than she imagined. "Naruto-kun, you don't need to thank me as I'm sure you would do the same to me, had you been there with my first kill. Aoba-sensei taught me the necessary path of a shinobi and after a few days, I was back on track. You just need to rest a bit and realize that you did in fact save your teammate's life. Now, come let's take you home, we'll walk together". – Said Yuugao as they lifted and went towards Naruto's house together. After reaching the namikaze compound, Naruto once again thanked the purple haired woman for what she did and surprisingly, Yuugao bench over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, saying once again that he didn't need to thank her, leaving a blushed Naruto.

* * *

**--Naruto's house-- **

Once inside, Naruto went straight to his room, not seeing Kushina wanting to talk to him and Minato stopping her saying that Naruto needed to come through on his own. Back to Naruto, he didn't want to sleep, but his body took over the situation, since he was tired from the travel towards Konoha. Naruto closed his eyes, vowing on this day forward that he would become stronger and learn to cope better with the whole killing thing.

* * *

**--The next day--**

As Naruto woke up, he came to a sudden decision about his ninjutsu training. He took upon himself to learn the **Raiton Ikazuki Butoukai Hou no Jutsu **(Lightning style: Thunder Ball Cannon Jutsu). After doing his routine workout, he entered the house only to see his father reading a scroll with some news regarding new changes in the Anbu system and ways to improve their training as well. Minato for his part rest the scroll on the table near him and decided to study his son's face reaction. Somehow, Naruto became even more determined than before if that was even possible. But Minato could only conclude one thing, his son was going to ask him something and being the experienced guy he was, he could tell that whatever his son had in mind, it was going to be big. "Tou-san, teach me shapemanipulation". – Asked Naruto, before seeing a wide-eyed Minato who didn't see this coming. Well, it was sure to be his next step in ninjutsu anyway, but isn't it soon to teach him that technique, Minato was wondering. After a second thought, he realized that he didn't need to teach him the **rasengan** but only the first and second steps of the technique.

"Okay, son. I'll teach you shapemanipulation, but keep in mind that in order to manipulate chakra, you need proficient chakra control at least if not higher, depending on which technique you'll want to use it with. Now, I believe that you got team practice with Anko. When you come back, we'll start on your training". – Said Minato before watching his son speeding towards the door, with a specific familiar hand seal. "Wait a minute Naruto. From here on out, your ninjutsu training will be with me. We'll revise all of the jutsu you already know, improve them and we'll fight against each other in a taijutsu/ninjutsu battle from time to time". – Said Minato now displaying a serious face that Naruto could only smirk at such possibility. "Huh, whatever you can throw at me Tou-san, I'll be able to handle, just you wait". – Said Naruto before vanishing inside a tornado, earning a smile from his father in the process. "Well, Naruto. It seemed that not only you got rid of the first kill thing, but also became stronger as a result. _Let's train together my son, I want to see how well you fight in battle against me._

* * *

**--Two year time skip--**

Two years later, Naruto woke up after what could be described as a travel to hell and back. His training ritual was tripled and he now came to look forward for rest ever once in a while. Since the retrieval of the boulder brother's bounty, team 5, while still genins, since the Hokage stated that for the genin to advance to chunnin to have at least a two year experience so as to not advance too fast through the ranks. Now, Naruto grew exponentially, now being the same height as Yuugao who now entered the Anbu program under Kakashi's wing.

Speaking of Yuugao, her dreams about Naruto stopped, until one she had last week that pretty much settled the fact that she may have some feelings from the blonde, since the dream involved more than just kissing, jumping to making out sections and some hand rubbing in private places, to which Yuugao now had a nosebleed upon imagining Naruto like the one of her dreams, much to Anko and Kurenai's delight, since their friend at last admitted her feelings for the blonde who by the way not only grew in height but he lost all his baby fat as well, developing his already toned muscles, giving him a ripped appearance and a six-pack.

Naruto's training was developing better than expected. Now with 9x gravity seal, he had physical training with Anko who worked him to the bone with taijutsu, stamina, speed, accuracy, stealth, agility and surprisingly to Anko and Naruto's team, his stamina only grew with time, making him a even bigger stamina freak than before. Regarding ninjutsu, he got chakra manipulation in four months, therefore being able to make the lightning ball attack as well as improving his **Raiton Raikou Dageki no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Lightning Strike Jutsu) up to a point where he could very well develop a taijutsu style to use with it. With fuuton, he was able to learn his first A ranked fuuton ninjutsu called **Fuuton Kyomou Shippu no Jutsu **(Wind Style: Fierce Hurricane Jutsu), creating one hell of a hurricane that surrounded him as a defensive jutsu, with the possibility of sending it towards the opponent, but such attack still consumed too much chakra of him.

In regards to Yuugao, Naruto was for once happy that she made into Anbu, fulfilling her dream, surpassing her father, but he was also slightly sad since he didn't get to see her much because of the fact that junior Anbu got to be sent to too many border patrols and she didn't have the time anymore to be with him, that being sparring with him or just spend some time with her. On occasions, Naruto and Yuugao went to have dinner with of course Yuugao teasing Naruto to no end, now seeing that his appearance did get to Yuugao's mind and she was beginning to dream awake about him for quite a while.

Now back to Naruto, he went to the wardrobe in order to change in his new wardrobe. He now wore black anbu paints with plain graffiti T-shirt. After dressing up, he went down to see his parents once again cuddling at the kitchen like the happy and perverted couple they were. Since Naruto went out on missions, Minato and Kushina had a lot more alone time. But little did Naruto know that Kushina was pregnant once again and he would have a sibling, a girl who Minato decided to name Namikaze Misao. Kushina was four months pregnant and she wanted to tell Naruto about it but the boy was unstoppable. Going through C and B ranked missions like crazy, Naruto's team was one of the best among the ones of his class and some of last year as well. Anko proved herself as a good sensei with teaching Katon jutsu to Tenten and defensive doton ninjutsu to Neji and some offensive as well.

Upon seeing that Naruto was already leaving, Kushina screamed for him to stop a little bit so she could talk with him. Since Minato was already at the office, Kushina sighed since she would be the one who gave the news to Naruto. When Naruto approached close to her, Kushina turned to evaluate his growth like she never saw it before. Naruto was basically an imitation of his father and he had the same height as his mother now. "Naruto-kun, there is something I need to tell you okay. It involved you me and your father as a family". – Said Kushina before sighing and just spill it out. "What is it Kaa-san?" – Asked Naruto, though his eyes were suddenly looked on his mother's belly and the fact that she was holding it just like she was protecting something. "Naruto-kun, I'm pregnant. You are about to have a little sister named Misao, isn't it great Naruto-kun?" – Asked Kushina, although slightly worried that Naruto would become jealous since he grew being an only son and now he would have to share his parents love with another one. "Are you serious, Kaa-san? That's great, I always wondered how it would be to have a sister of brother looking up to me, and it's great." – Said Naruto, taking a burden off Kushina's shoulder as she was afraid of Naruto's behavior. After the news, Naruto got some questions about who picked the name and said to his mother, that he hoped that Misao would get his mother's looks, earning a blush from Kushina from being commended by her son.

After seeing goodbye, Naruto left the compound, since his sensei was about to make an announcement to the whole team and he needed to be there a.s.a.p. On the way, Naruto was thinking of little Misao and how it will be to have a little sister to protect and play with her. Naruto was smiling upon imagining a little Namikaze playing with Kaa-san's garden just like he did back then. Back to his path, as Naruto landed on a building, he stopped suddenly and smiled. He surely missed such a presence. Upon turning, Naruto managed to see what to him a sight to behold. There stood Yuugao in all her glory with sexy and deadly Anbu uniform with long and beautiful purple hair with her 'cat' mask, while crossing her eyes. "It's been a while Naru-kun" – Whispered Yuugao in a slightly sexy voice to which Naruto responded teasing her as well. "Hello there Yuugao-chan, that uniform you're wearing is quite appealing". – Said Naruto, smiling towards Yuugao who in turn took off her mask and smiled back deviously. It's been some time since Naruto and Yuugao exchanged teasing commentaries to one another with some of them being quite arousing to each other, but they didn't cross the line yet. Yuugao wanted to as Naruto, but both of them enjoyed the teasing so much that both of them concluded would be worth the wait. Since Naruto was in a hurry to reach his team and Yuugao was on her way to HQ to deliver a report to Kakashi, they both changed glares for a moment, until they took different paths with both of them looking back to one another.

* * *

**--At team 5'****s training ground--**

After Naruto arrived, Anko turned to address to the team that the chunnin exams will be held in two weeks time and will be held in Konoha. After some info telling them that the Hokage will make the exams different than before, so this will be a whole new exam more dangerous and more demanding of the chunnin candidates. After the explanation, Anko gave each one of the team the necessary papers and dismissed them, telling them to appear on room 301 of the academy in two weeks time.

* * *

**--At the Anbu HQ--**

Itachi was downright furious at the moment. He was remembering of his stupid of a father who thought that all a shinobi needed was the damn sharingan. Uchiha Fugaku was arrogant and constantly testing everyone's patience with his delusions of grandness, saying that the Uchiha clan were the strongest clan in Konoha and as such he deserved respect. But little did Itachi knew, that Fugaku discovered ways of obtaining the mangenkyou sharingan and learned that to obtain the next level of sharingan, he would need to kill a loved one of his life, being one of his family member.


	9. Chuunin exams and Training

Chapter 9 – Chunnin exams and Training

Two days after Anko's news on nominating her team for the chunnin exams, Team 5 got into training the entire time. They circulated between individual skills and team skills, being the former with spars and new jutsus courtesy of Anko and group attacks and group survival skills for the latter. Right now, Anko and Tenten were watching an exciting display between the two males of the team. Naruto currently was making hand seals quickly while Neji was with his byakugan in anticipation for Naruto's technique until it came. "**Fuuton Kaze no Yaiba **(Wind Style: Wind Sword Jutsu). With that, Naruto made a sword of wind and sent it flying towards Neji who made his own seals to defend, seeing that the kaiten was useless against such a technique. **"Doton Doryuheki no Jutsu" (**Earth Style: Wall Barrier Jutsu).

Seeing that the Justus met and vanished, Naruto and Neji charged against each other in taijutsu, Neji with his quick and light strikes towards Naruto's tenketsus and Naruto with strong and hard strikes. Naruto tried to strike Neji with a sequence of a punches but Neji smoothly defended all of them, while dancing and showing the Hyuuga's signature taijutsu style on his prime. Neji has come a long way on the jyuuken since he graduated at the academy. Keeping constant training with Hizashi, the new Hyuuga prodigy was on his way to being one of the best Hyuuga shinobis of this generation and possibly even Hizashi's generation, if he kept on the same course of action.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but you are at my field of divination" – Said Neji as he got into a stance in preparation for one of the Hyuuga's most prized techniques. The **Hakke Rokujuuyonshou (**Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand) was a technique worthy of a main branch Hyuuga member, but Neji wasn't a genius for nothing, he got to learn it from his father four months ago and now it would seem that poor Naruto was going to get his tenketsu closed. But since Neji was beginning to initiate his attack, he underestimated Naruto's speed to make hand seals. As Neji began to charge, Naruto knew he would only have one chance at this before he would get his tenketsus sealed by Neji. "**Raiton Jibashi no Jutsu (**Lightning Style: Eletromagnetic Pulse Jutsu). As Neji arrived practically in front of Naruto, ready to begin the first two assaults on Naruto's tenketsus, suddenly waves of electromagnetic energy appeared from Naruto's hand, forcing Neji to abandon his technique and make hand seals while jumping.

Meanwhile, the audience was analyzing the fight with a smile on their faces. Anko was stunned to see such high level jutsus being displayed by genins and Tenten was trying to study Naruto and Neji's moves. As Neji jumped from Naruto's raiton technique, he started making hand seals to which Anko recognized the sequence and smirked at the prodigy's strategy. She was eager to see Naruto dodging the next attack. True to Anko's words, Neji landed on the ground before finishing the hand seals sequence, "**Doton Iwa Nado Kuzushi (**Earth Style: Stone Lodging Destruction Jutsu). With that, the mountain near them suddenly served as a catapult for rocks which were falling towards Naruto very fast, leaving him with no alternative, but to resort to an evasive jutsu **Fuuton Shunshin no Jutsu **(Wind Style: Body Flicker Jutsu) and appeared behind Anko and Tenten.

Anko upon turning behind, grinned upon seeing Naruto behind her, call the fight off. She didn't even bothered to declare a winner, since neither landed any substantial hit on the other. Both of them displayed proficient knowledge on ninjutsu and evasive techniques. In taijutsu, they were tied, since with each attack there was a defense ready to take the blow. Since none of them used genjutsu which according to Naruto, it just wasn't worth the trouble of learning genjutsu, rather than learning to dispel it, much to Kurenai's dismay since Naruto ended up saying bad things about her style of fighting in the process.

Now moving on to the next fight, Anko ushered Tenten and Naruto to fight. Not wasting any time, Tenten picked two shurikens and threw them at Naruto before making hand signs for the **Kage shuriken no jutsu (**shuriken shadow clone), adding twenty more shurikens towards Naruto. Quickly reaching his trench knifes and charging them with fuuton chakra, Naruto jumped to the side, by channeling chakra through his legs and used the force to jump away from the shurikens which ended up imbedded on a near tree. Using the momentum, Naruto charged Tenten while making hand seals for **Raiton Dageki Mahi no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Shock Paralysis Jutsu) and slammed his hands on Tenten's stomach, sending raiton chakra on her body, paralyzing her and making her fall on the ground completely paralyzed.

Now immersed in rage over the concept of losing to a boy, which to Naruto she could be quite scary when thinking like this, Tenten bit her lip, sending waves of adrenaline through her body, dissipating the technique and getting up, much to Naruto's grin, since thanks to Tenten, he discovered a way to counter his own technique and get prepared for the future. Flipping through hand seals quickly, Tenten gathered air inside her lungs and exhaled a thin layer of dragon fire. "**Katon Karyuudan no Jutsu**" (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Projectile Jutsu)**. **Cursing his very soul for not being able to use the wind barrier jutsu, Naruto resorted to maybe his first jutsu ever learned and replaced him with a log nearby before seeing it combust quickly.

Naruto appeared on her side and made four kage bunshins in order to initiate his taijutsu combo attack. Ushering the clones to surround Tenten, Naruto charged at her with a straight punch on her face, followed by consecutive kicks from below her from the kage bunshins until she met with the real Naruto's foot on her chest, sending her flying towards the ground. Anko seeing this wanted first to scowl at Naruto for attacking Tenten with such a combo, but dismissed the thought since she knew Tenten didn't want special treatment just because of her gender.

Naruto for his part ran to her aid only to see Tenten unconscious but with a smile on her face. Naruto knew what she was smiling about, since Yuugao explained it to him some time ago. According to the purple haired woman, Tenten smiled like that when she was beaten by a strong foe that treated her just like any other opponent, rather than a supposedly weaker person because of gender. Anko also knew that feeling, but she figured that since Tenten was unconscious, a little reprimand was in order for the blonde. "Naruto, while such combo is very affective, you ended up beating your teammate until she was unconscious, now what should I do for your punishment, Neji any thoughts?" – Asked Anko, licking her lips in anticipation and for Neji to smirk since he had the perfect idea. "Anko-sensei why not let Naruto carry Tenten to the hospital while we're chasing him with kunais and shurikens, you know just to scare him a little". – Said Neji to which Anko smiled and Naruto gulped since he managed to hear their conversation and didn't like it one bit.

Seeing that his ass was on the line, Naruto did the only thing he knew to escape their wrath. He deactivated the gravity seals, picked Tenten bridal style and used fuuton shunshin in order to get a clear advantage so his teammates wouldn't chase him with kunais/shurikens and for Anko to summon snakes after him as well. After Naruto vanished with Tenten on his arms, Neji and Anko sighed, since they lost the chance to give a little torture to the blonde. "Okay, Neji since you would get to fight Tenten, I'm your opponent, but before we fight, I want to teach your trump card on the chunnin exams. I'll teach you one of the strongest doton techniques, called **Doton Doryuudan no Jutsu **(Earth Style: Earth Dragon Projectile Jutsu). This is a high B ranked jutsu, so be careful when using it, since it takes a lot of chakra and genin normally shouldn't have much chakra for such a technique. Note that this technique is equivalent to Tenten's Karyuudan no Jutsu. Neji for his part was ecstatic about learning such jutsu, but something was amiss. If he and Tenten would get to learn similar jutsus, wouldn't Naruto learn it as well. "Anko-sensei, if I and Tenten learned this jutsu, wouldn't Naruto learn it as well?" – Asked Neji to which Anko sighed, since she thought that as well. "Well, Neji he would, but we don't have any knowledge on this technique when mixed with raiton or even fuuton that happens to be Naruto's source of ninjutsu as well as his affinities. Now, this technique is…."

**--With Naruto--**

Quite further from the training ground, Naruto landed on a rooftop in order to assess the situation. He was with an unconscious teammate on his arms and he needed to take her somewhere. The hospital wouldn't be an option since she wasn't sick or bruised. Concluding that she needed rest, Naruto rushed towards Tenten's house. Meanwhile, a certain cat masked Anbu was watching her favorite blonde with certain amusement as well as slight jealousy for the girl he was carrying.

Now there was a feeling she never thought she would have. Ever since she and Naruto became friends, both her friends Anko and Kurenai kept pestering her with thoughts about being Naruto-kun's girlfriend or something like that. Two years later, the blonde managed to show her that in spite of being young in age number, Naruto displayed an experience akin to a person at least six years older than him. She was remembering their frequent spars and how many times Naruto took care of her wounds. Yuugao at one time when Naruto was healing a bruise on her stomach, ended up locking her eyes with his ocean blue eyes. Since then, Yuugao started to have certain feelings for the blonde, to which her senpai Hatake Kakashi managed to see on her face once when they were watching Naruto train what would be his trump card to pass the chunnin exams.

**Flashback on**

Yuugao, now a part of Anbu for five months, had just arrived at Anbu Hq. Being yet a junior Anbu, she was eager for tough missions to participate. While inside Hq, she would either participate on a mission or train to death, with the 7x gravity seal activated. Now being considered one of the best kenjutsu users on the force, Yuugao was a force to be recognized. Another fact that contributed with her status, was that she was under the command of no one other than Sharingan no Kakashi, being only rival to Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha clan prodigy.

Since there wasn't any mission, she headed for one of the Anbu's many training grounds inside the compound in order to practice a new suiton jutsu that her father taught her. **Suiton Suishouha no Jutsu **(Water Style: Water Collision Jutsu) was a jutsu created by the Nidaime Hokage who was considered to be the best suiton user in the history of the shinobi countries. Just as she was about to make the hand signs, Kakashi appeared with his dog mask, telling her to conserve her chakra since both of them got a mission to handle. The mission was simple. Some of Konoha's spies informed the Hokage that Iwa would try another attack on Naruto, but this time they would be sending high chunnin to low level jounin. So, Kakashi and Yuugao's job was to protect him when he wasn't going on a mission or training with his team.

Nodding towards her senpai, Yuugao and Kakashi rushed to meet Naruto on his house. When they arrived, the saw Naruto on the garden, sitting down apparently not doing much, but since Kakashi had the sharingan he could very well see that Naruto was expelling raiton chakra throughout his body. Apparently, he was perfecting his invention and Konoha's newest raiton jutsu called **Raiton Raikou Dageki no Jutsu (**Lightning Style: Lightning Strike Jutsu).

Yuugao for her part was wondering what the blonde was doing when suddenly waves of electric discharges appeared running through his body like it was obeying his will. After that, Naruto started doing what appeared to be a taijutsu combo, but what seemed strange to Yuugao was that the fists and kicks were embedded with electric discharges. Seeing that his subordinate wanted an explanation, Kakashi explained to her about Naruto's creation with was based on him channeling raiton chakra up to a specific part of your body, namely your fist or foot and exhale it in a way similar to Tsunade's super strength, but of course much less powerful. Kakashi also explained that Yondaime labeled such technique as an A ranked one, because of the chakra consumption.

Taking a moment to process the information of a eleven year old genin creating an A ranked raiton jutsu, Yuugao ushered to ask something regarding the chakra consumption, since it appeared that Naruto wasn't having much trouble keeping the technique for long, clearly forgetting about Naruto's high chakra capacity and somewhat chunnin level control to which Kakashi made sure to explain it to her. "Naruto was blessed with high chakra capacity Yuugao and with his water walking level control he is able to maintain this technique for a considerable amount of time. Each and every blow is embedded with raiton chakra, making each and every one of them a lethal attack". – Said Kakashi, making Yuugao turn to the blonde with respect over creating such a body damaging technique.

After a moment, Naruto walked inside his house in order to have a little break, while Yuugao and Kakashi went to hide on a spot closer, so they could keep track of him the entire time. Naruto for his part was thinking about his yet ultimate and most difficult jutsu the **Raiton Ikazuki Butoukai Hou no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Thunder Ball Cannon Jutsu). He was able to learn after most effort, the first two stages of his father's **Rasengan **technique which consisted of creating a chakra sphere on his hands, but now Naruto had to learn two things. First, how to channel raiton chakra through the ball and second how to launch it once the lightning ball is formed. The first one, Naruto was sure he could do it, since he learned the basics of Kakashi's **Raikiri **which consisted on embedding raiton chakra together with shape manipulation, but the launching part that was though.

Seeing that he wouldn't get to know how to do it, unless he tried a few times, he went to the garden again and started making the hand seals for the technique, molding the chakra, therefore, being able to create the raiton sphere on his hands. Kakashi and Yuugao were shocked to see such a show. Kakashi wondered if Naruto learned Raikiri on his own and Yuugao was at a loss of words from seeing Naruto doing something similar to what Kakashi's prized technique. However, they could see a struggling Naruto who was trying to launch the now thunder ball making it look like a thunder ball cannon. Although Naruto got an 'A' for effort up to charge the ball with more raiton chakra, making it rather unstable, sending little lightning everywhere. After a while, Naruto extinguished the technique, since he didn't have a clue on how to finish the technique.

Yuugao for her part couldn't take her eyes of the blonde and the reason wasn't because it was her mission to do so. The reason was that the blonde in front of her managed to surprise her yet again. She was at a loss of words after Naruto's raiton taijustu combo before, but now upon seeing Naruto working on a technique as deadly as her senpai's assassination jutsu, she was wondering if he in fact used one of these techniques on her, she would be dead for sure. She was amazed with his abilities and such a fact she couldn't hind from her senpai Kakashi who by the way was smirking inside his mask from seeing the cat masked Anbu look at Naruto with intensity. _'Yuugao, if you knew what Naruto is trying to learn, you'd be even more lost in thoughts than you are right now'._

**Flashback off**

Right now ushering to be next to him in order to tease him a little bit and also to see the reason behind Naruto carrying a girl, Yuugao jumped towards his direction. Upon arrival next to him, she turned to ask in a normal way yet slightly filled with jealousy. "Hello Naruto-kun. Tell me why are you carrying this girl, huh?" – Said Yuugao to which Naruto turned and proceeded to speak, not even surprised that Yuugao was there as well. "I knocked her out on a spar and Anko-sensei told me to take her to the hospital, but since she is just unconscious, I'm heading for her house." – Explained Naruto, while looking intently at Yuugao's eyes which was the only visibility he got because of the mask on her face. "Sure. So you wouldn't mind if I went with you, then?" – Asked Yuugao with a tone that showed that she wouldn't accept a 'no' for an answer. "Of course not, Yuugao-chan, after that, lunch is on me, what do you say?" – Said Naruto, throwing Yuugao's suspicions away upon hearing Naruto inviting her on a lunch date. "Okay, you managed out of this one, but I get to choose the restaurant". – Said Yuugao, receiving a nod and a smile from Naruto.

After they reached Tenten's house and handed her to her father who at first seeing Naruto wanted to punch him in the face from supposedly doing this to his daughter, which earned an amused smile from the Cat masked Anbu upon the sight of Naruto apologizing to Tenten's father for knocking her out unconscious while on a spar. Now, Yuugao and Naruto entered the dango place so to have their lunch date. Somehow, Naruto knew that she would pick such a place, since she always picked the dango place. Inside as the supposed couple got their orders, Naruto and Yuugao started talking about missions in general and about Anbu missions. Naruto at one time laughed his ass off when Yuugao told him about the time when she stole Kakashi senpai's book and put the blame on the hokage that somewhat ushered Yuugao to steal it. "So Naruto-kun about that raiton cannon jutsu of yours, did you manage the last part?" – Asked Yuugao, interested about the blonde's 'A' ranked jutsu.

"Almost. I won't say I figured out yet, but I'm pretty close to discovering a way. I long ago stop trying to use raiton chakra for it to work. I got a theory about the first fuuton jutsu I learned called **Fuuton Kaze no Jutsu **(Wind Style: Wind Breeze Jutsu) and how I could use the wind strength to launch the ball. But that would take too long and the enemy wouldn't wait. If I were to do this, I would have to learn how to do the **kaze no jutsu **seconds after making the raiton ball".

As Naruto continued to talk about his theory, Yuugao was remembering the blonde performing the technique and then use a wind jutsu to propel the lightning ball. Quite frankly, she was a little skeptical about someone using two elements at the same time, but this was Naruto she was talking about and wasn't about to stop surprising her any time soon. As she looked at him explaining, she couldn't help but remind herself of every time he ended up surprising her: the never ending stamina and the meditation, the kage bunshin, learning elemental ninjutsu at an early age, the gravity seal, his second affinity, not to mention his mission stats that happen to be on par with her own back when she was a genin.

"Naruto-kun, attempting to use two elements at the same time is something of a bloodline limit. It's not possible for you to do it." – Said Yuugao, before seeing a smile appear on Naruto's face. "Yuugao-chan, I never said about using the two elements exactly the same time. I was thinking more in terms of shaping the lightning ball and then use the fuuton chakra in order to launch the attack. But, I don't know if the kaze no jutsu is enough or do I have to use the daitoppa. No, if I use this one, I wouldn't be able to direct the ball and the technique would be worthless. Kami, I'm on this technique for quite some time and I still can't do it right. The scroll I got doesn't tell much and I would like to use it as a trump card for the chunnin exams."- Said Naruto with some determination, earning a smile from Yuugao who lifted from their table. "Well, I just hope you manage to complete it, I have to be at Hq now, Naruto-kun. We can talk again later" – Said Yuugao, as she received a smile and a goodbye nod from Naruto, showing that he would definitely hold on to that.

As Naruto also got up, he paid for the meal and left for his house. On the way, Naruto was thinking about more training on the subject or even train his strongest fuuton technique and hope to control better, not wasting too much chakra with it.

* * *

**--At the Namikaze Compound--**

Already inside, Naruto found his mother sitting on the living room with her hands embracing her bally in a way of protecting the baby from harm. At seeing this, Naruto smiled once again. When his parents told him that he would be having a little sister, Naruto was excited to say the least. _Namikaze Misao, I can't wait for you to come to this world, so we can play together and do all sorts of stuff together as well._As Naruto walked towards the kitchen, the noise made Kushina turn her head apprehensively from thinking that someone would try to harm her or the baby. Kushina and Minato were discussing about the fact that Iwa's attempts on Naruto may divert to Misao once she was born and that fact alone scared her greatly. Thinking about picking a kunai, she was relieved to hear her son's voice going through the items inside the refrigerator. "Naruto-kun, are you home?" – Asked Kushina just to hear the blonde's voice. "Yeah Kaa-san, I'm just fixing a sandwich for me and then I'll head for my room. How is Misao doing?"

"She's fine Naruto-kun. She's kicking like hell though; it's kind of funny you know. She kicks just as much as you did when you were inside of me". – Said Kushina as she remembered Minato resting his hands on her stomach and they both laughing at the feeling of little Naruto making himself known inside her stomach. "Really, well if you feel it again, call me, I want to feel it to". – Said Naruto as he went up to his room before smiling towards his mother, filling her with parental warmth inside her heart from seeing her son smile like that. _Oh, Naruto-kun, so young and already so old. You grew too fast, I just hope that nothing negative happen to you, Naruto._

* * *

**--Inside Naruto's room--**

Already with his fuuton book with him, he took another look at the technique called **Fuuton Kyomou Shippu no Jutsu **(Wind Style: Fierce Hurricane Jutsu). He was searching for a way to control the technique better so as to be able to use in combat and not be winded from it. Naruto remembered the last time he tried the technique against a group of bandits near kusa territory. While he could wipe close to 20 bandits alone with the technique, after it, he couldn't even stand after it and if it wasn't for Anko-sensei using her snake jutsu, Naruto would be killed by a katana that was being aimed to his chest.

He also remembered Anko lecturing him about using not yet mastered jutsus in missions and the fact that it could result in death, just like it would be if it wasn't for Anko. Even though Anko, afterwards, got jutsu-fan towards him asking questions about such a technique, Naruto felt ashamed from once again being saved. Now back to the book, Naruto was revising the description of the technique and sighed, seeing that he knew all that was being said about the technique. _Damn it, it doesn't say much else about it. I guess I need a little stamina training. _Dismissing the idea of trying to adapt so soon to the hurricane jutsu, Naruto decided to look through other techniques to see if he could learn it. As he flipped through the book, he subconsciously stopped on a page that detailed the **fuuton kaze no yaiba** technique. As he was reading the description, he came upon an author note.

'The kaze no yaiba was invented by Suna's Razor Wind back at the Third Shinobi War. The technique involves the creation of a razor sharp wind that resembles the figure of a katana, when created. Since then, no one was able to enhance such technique which happens to be one of Suna's most prized jutsus. I had an idea on how to expand the technique and it revolved around multiplying the number of wind swords, but once I tried, an accident occurred and I ended up cutting my arms instead of perfecting the technique, therefore my ninja career is finished. For those who came to read this book, please continue my research on expanding the technique, whoever you are. And if by chance, you manage to create this technique, I have a humble request that you come to Suna in order to show me the technique that cursed my ninja career.'

"Wow, if what he did, manage to cut his arms, then he must have applied more chakra into shaping the wind sword, making it unstable and chop his arms off. If I were to create multiple kaze no yaibas, I wouldn't try to expand the chakra needed to create one. In order for me to create multiple wind swords, I would need the aid of already existing wind and the only way for me to make constant flows of wind is either by the **Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu **(Wind Style: Wind Barrier Jutsu) or the **Fuuton Kadou no Jutsu **(Wind Style: Vortex Jutsu). The Kadou is a B ranked technique and the Shouheki is a C level, also the Kadou takes a lot of concentration on my part in order to create the wind field, it wouldn't be practical for me, not even if I learn to control it better. Then, I'll try with the shouheki, wait I must write this down" – Said Naruto thinking out loud.

After scribing the theory needed for the new technique, Naruto was picturing in his head using the shouheki as a way of using the already created wind current and just having to shape it to form multiple wind swords. The theory was quite simple, but Naruto knew from the book that if it was simple, the author wouldn't cut his arms off, therefore, ending his ninja career. Before heading for his training ground, AKA Kushina's garden, he figured that a name for the technique would be preferable. "Since it will be a better version and the fact that I intend to create multiple wind swords, I think I'll call it **Fuuton Baisuu Kaze no Yaiba **(Wind Style: Multiple Wind Swords Jutsu)".

(A/N: I want to dedicate this new jutsu to **YungProdaG **for coming up with the idea for this new fuuton jutsu.)

* * *

**--At the garden--**

Three hours later, Naruto was panting from little chakra exhaustion. He was right; the theory was quite simple, yet the real thing was almost impossible. Seeing that he needed the chakra to create the technique, he sat down on the ground and relaxed a little bit. Chakra recovery rate was a way of measuring a ninja's stamina and Naruto was living up to this sentence.

Meanwhile, Minato had just arrived home for dinner only to see a sleeping Kushina embracing their future daughter and smile deeply. The Namikaze Clan was lost after the second great shinobi war; therefore Minato was the last Namikaze. He remembered Sarutobi saying to him when he became jounin, about Nidaime's Clan Restoration Act and the fact that he could marry multiple wives if he felt like reviving his clan up to his prime. The Namikazes were praised for their speeds and agility in battle, hence his **Hiraishin no Jutsu**. But Minato had two objections about the clan restoration act, first the fact that he loved Kushina with all his heart and second that he disliked the idea of polygamy, much to the dismay of his sensei Jiraya of the sannin who scowled at his student with the idea of group sex. He still remembered having to guide the poor man to the hospital, after what Kushina and Tsunade did to him.

As Minato reached the window that lead to the garden, he witnessed his son lifting from the ground with a determined face as per usual. Minato would never see the day when he stopped being proud of his son. The boy never ceased to amaze the adult Namikaze. His missions rate were on par with some of Konoha's most prized elites and the fact that his son took the exact same roll of his father as a jutsu maker, was interest to say the least. After Naruto showed him the **Raiton Raikou Dageki no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Lightning Strike Jutsu), Minato applauded the boy for his ingenuity, but cursed the village from not having much raiton users, other than well he, his own son, Kakashi and some Anbu members. Minato remembered once being praised by the Anbu members for such a useful technique and very well remembered some masks falling on the ground when he told them that was his 10 year old son that invented such technique.

Right now, Minato was seeing Naruto perform the seals needed for the wind barrier jutsu and then two typhoons emerge in front of his son. Minato upon seeing this, guessed that Naruto wanted to become used to such technique, little did he know that Naruto's intention was offensive related, instead of defensive.

Since Kushina was still asleep, Minato stayed to see his son train. While Minato was oblivious of Naruto's intentions, the latter was smirking like a maniac, when only he was able to shape one kaze no yaiba with the wind current created by the fuuton technique. After it, he cursed himself for not thinking clearly before; wasting chakra needlessly. The idea was not to do the kaze no yaiba technique as a whole, since Naruto didn't have to apply fuuton chakra anymore, he just needed to shape the wind into razor sharp swords. _Stupid Naruto, it was so damn simple. _

Minato for his part was confused as to why Naruto was cursing himself, but as Naruto did the technique, Minato manage to see that in front of the typhoons, several wind swords were being formed, while slicing the imaginary opponent into shreds, leaving Minato's jaws on the ground and slightly worried about his son's psychotic murderer techniques. Minato knew that the kaze no Yaiba could cut through anything and that human flesh was no exception, but to resort to multiple ones like that, it was like Naruto wanted to kill someone. His feeling only rose when he saw Naruto grin deviously. "Naruto, come here for a second" – Said Minato, earning Naruto's attention since he didn't know that his father was there. "Tou-san, what's it?" – Asked Naruto, though he regretted, after seeing the serious look of his father.

"Naruto, although it pleases me that you are creating new techniques, I believe that some if not all of them are plain murderer techniques. The one you created now, what's it called?" – Asked Minato, being hypocritical to which Naruto scowled it and retorted. "This technique is called **Fuuton Baisuu Kaze no Yaiba **(Wind Style: Multiple Wind Swords Jutsu) and is not a murderer technique, Tou-san. I merely expanded an already existing jutsu. But since you used the word murderer technique, Tou-san, tell me what do you think the rasengan is, if it isn't a weapon of mass destruction" – Said Naruto scowling his father to which Minato got irritated at this boy's lack of respect for his parents in such a way, but got to think about the yet incomplete rasengan and Naruto's correct description. _Yeah, Iwa still has nightmares about the rasengan, and Naruto's techniques can very well be another ninja's nightmare in the future, well like father like son, I guess. _

"Ok, Naruto. I'll add your new jutsu to Konoha's jutsu scroll as an A ranked ninjutsu, because of the damage that this jutsu can do". – Said Minato, although he was considering labeling the technique 'S' ranked, in order to prevent anyone less than jounin to attempt such a technique. '_Everyone meet my son, the butcher of Konoha'_.

* * *

**--Time skip - Date of the Chunnin exams--**

Naruto awoke after practically two or three hours sleep last night. Today was the day of the chunnin exams and Naruto was suffering in anticipation for it. Seeing that he still had two hours to reach the academy, Naruto dressed his shinobi attire and went downstairs for some breakfast. When down stairs, Naruto could only find Kushina sitting on the table, reading the newspaper, while waiting for her son to show up. Since Minato was hokage and all, he went ahead to see the preparations for the new exams that would test the results of the new academy.

Saying goodbye to his mother and receiving a good luck and be careful sentence as well, Naruto was taking his pace calmly towards the academy. He still had one hour to arrive and by walking, he would take approximately half an hour to arrive. On the way, he bumped into Yuugao but to his surprise, she was not wearing Anbu attire and quite frankly Naruto was enjoying the view. It seemed like forever since Naruto got to see Yuugao's beautiful form without all the Anbu armor. "Yuugao-chan, why aren't you with your Anbu attire, not that I'm complaining about the lack of clothes, but I thought that Anbu would be on guard today since ninjas from other villages would be here as well" – Said Naruto before seeing a devious smirk from the purple haired Anbu.

"Enjoying the view, I presume. Well, about the Anbu armor, Kakashi-senpai gave me the day off, something about not letting the job get to you or something like that. Right now, I'm waiting for Kurenai-chan to have some breakfast". – Said Yuugao before seeing Naruto's face turn to a scared one, little did Yuugao know that Kurenai used Naruto as guinea pigs for her genjutsus.

Naruto for his part was scared of Kurenai's genjutsus. The last time she surprised him with genjutsus, the blonde was trembling from the little memory input. Suddenly, Naruto was wrapped by tree logs and Kurenai appeared from inside the tree with a kunai on his hand, preparing for the stabbing and the fast killing. Naruto tried to release the technique, but this genjutsu was a high level one. Kurenai for her part was grinning at yet another genjutsu technique created, when she saw Naruto with a strange smile on his face and wondered what he could be thinking, when suddenly Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke. Dismissing the technique, Kurenai saw the real Naruto next to Yuugao smirking.

"Did you use kage bunshin on me, Naruto-kun?" – Asked Kurenai, though with certain venom in her voice making Naruto realize that Kurenai didn't like the idea. Seeing that he needed his energy for the chunnin exams, Naruto used Kurenai's genjutsu addiction to avoid any possible attacks against him. "Sorry about that Kurenai-san, I couldn't dispel your genjutsu, so I did a kage bunshin and replaced myself with him. By the way, you invented yet another one, I see. Tell me about it." – Said Naruto before seeing Kurenai change to angry and enter teacher mode. _Gotcha ya_.

"Well, I'm glad you asked Naruto-kun. That's my 'A' level genjutsu called **Magen Jubaku Satsu (**Demonic Illusion Tree Binding Death). With it, I can capture the enemy and kill him effortlessly, well for those who can't break high level genjutsu at least and you. Quite the creative aren't you, Naruto-kun, replacing yourself for a kage bunshin. But you need to hurry, the chunnin exams will start in fifteen minutes" – Said Kurenai to which Naruto cursed himself for forgetting the damn chunnin exams. "Oh man, I got to go. I see you later Yuugao-chan, Kurenai-san." – Screamed Naruto as he deactivated his gravity seal and vanished inside a tornado, making both women cover their eyes from the wind force.

As the dust cleared, Yuugao and Kurenai lowered their arms and sighed, seeing that Naruto almost lifted them just by the force of the wind alone. "So, Yuugao, tell me do you still say that you don't have feelings for him?" – Asked Kurenai, while entering the restaurant. "No, Kurenai-chan, I'm not. He is growing quite well and though he's only twelve, I can see a maturity way beyond his age. I'm not saying we're dating right now, but we're enjoying the company towards a future relationship" – Said Yuugao, being a bit too formal to Kurenai's liking, but she had just the counterattack in mind. "I see and what about your blushing face when he complemented your features, heh Yuugao-chan?" – Said Kurenai, teasing Yuugao who right now was displaying a slight blushed face from remembering Naruto complementing her.

Changing the subject, Yuugao asked about Kurenai's future now that she was a jounin to which Kurenai responded by taking a genin team from this year's academy. Kurenai also told Yuugao about the unfair treatment that Hyuuga Hiashi gave to Hyuuga Hinata and that she was hoping to be her jounin sensei.

* * *

**--At the academy--**

Neji and Tenten were waiting patiently for the blonde Namikaze. Tenten was already cursing names and Neji was slightly annoyed from the prospect of being late for his chunnin exams, until a hurricane suddenly formed in front of them. Even though Naruto did that before, it didn't mean that his teammates wasn't already used to it as they covered their faces from the wind power. "Sorry about being late, guys. I ran to an acquaintance of mine. But now that we are all here, let's hurry. Kami forbid our team didn't arrive at the chunnin exams because of me." – Said Naruto, as he rushed inside with his team following him, up to see Anko standing next to the door with a smile on her face as she saw her team arrive. "Alright maggots, you're late. I don't want to hear excuses. If you want to become chunnin, punctuality is a must, now get in there." – Screamed Anko practically shoving her team inside.

* * *

**--First phase of the chunnin exams--**

Inside the classroom, team 5 was surprised to see so many chunnin applicants. As they search for places to seat, they manage to recognize the hand bands. To sum up, they were 25 teams. 5 from Konoha, 5 from Iwa, 5 from Suna, 5 from Kumo and 5 from Kiri. All of the hidden villages are being represented in equal number.

When all genins were seated, Naruto started noting that the iwa teams were looking at him with smirks on their faces, same as Kumo with Neji, but they were aiming Neji's eyes, while Iwa was targeting Naruto as a person. Suddenly a mass of chunnin rank ninja shunshined inside the room with Tokubetsu Jounin Morino Ibiki in front of them. "Alright everyone take a seat and we'll begin the first part of the chunnin exams, but mind you that I'll not explain the other parts. A chunnin must be prepared for anything, in order to act when a bad situation is presented. Now, my part is a written text that is located in front of all of you. The questions involve practical exercises in which a chunnin must learn how to analyze a current situation and devise a suitable strategy. You all have one hour to finish this text, but remember you'll be evaluated as time progresses. My comrades will be watching all of you. If any of you who were caught cheating this exam three times, your whole team will be eliminated. Begin" – Screamed Ibiki as a huge noise of paper could be heard.

As Naruto went to the questions, he was ecstatic of such a test. It was his favorite book after all. The questions involved every type of missions that chunnin would normally be attending; to client escort up to defending Konoha against an enemy. _Okay, let's see. You are the team captain of four genins. Your mission is to protect a client and his goods on his trip to Tanzaku Gai. Rumors have it that a few missing nins are near the area. Answer the formation needed to better protect the client and what would you do first in case of an attack, considering that the missing-nins are from Iwa._

After reading the question, Naruto was a little confused as to the last part, since it didn't give many information. Answering the question, he wrote that he would set a perimeter around the goods using the genin and he would be the one guarding the client, in case the missing-nins attacked the client. When he reached the second part of the question, Naruto turned to think for a moment. _Okay, the first thing I should do when missing-nins are attacking is…Oh man, it's a trick question, the information about Iwa's missing-nins is a trap. It doesn't manner if the missing-nins are from Iwa, the first thing I should do is consider the client's safety and the genins. The goods are also a concern, but since the genins are protecting it. Yes, that's the answer. _

Little did Naruto knew that the chunnin responsible for evaluating him was using a genjutsu on his paper and everything that was being written, it would be written on his version of the test. Hagane Kotetsu was looking at Naruto's answer with interest, seeing that he didn't fall for the trap while most of the others were scribbing furiously about taking out the missing-nins up to the point to even write the name of the techniques involved.

Overall, Naruto was struggling to answer all the questions correctly. Some of the questions involved one on one battles and which technique would prevail if the enemy were to be a certain element. Other questions involved aspects of information gathering missions and how to avoid detection. Kotetsu was amused by Naruto explaining conceal chakra in order to avoid detection and the usage of a D ranked genjutsu utilized on the ninja so that vanished from the enemy's sight. Being apprenticed to Konoha's Tokubetsu Jounin head of assassination, Naruto learned some things.

Once the test was over, already ten teams were eliminated either by cheating or failing the test. It was quite amusing to see the look of one Iwa genin asking how the hell did they know he fail if his test was in front of him the whole time. Ibiki cleaned his throat and answered plain and simple about a genjutsu that happen to transfer all of the answers to the chunnin evaluators. Needless to say the guy was pissed and blamed Konoha for cheating and eliminating Iwa genins. Because of the elimination, now there 15 teams: 3 from Konoha; 2 from Iwa; 4 from Suna; 3 from Kumo and 3 from Kiri.

"For those who passed the first part, please follow me and I'll direct you to the next phase and for the ones who failed, better luck next time" – Said Ibiki as he walked towards the next room together with the genins while the chunnins took the papers and handed to the Hokage's office for archive and future analysis.

* * *

**--Second phase of the chunnin exams--**

As Ibiki was walking, he stopped in front of a black double door and opened them. "This room will be the second phase of the chunnin exams, please proceed inside and wait for the next proctor" – Said Ibiki before letting the genins enter and close the door. The room was slightly dark, resembling like a dark cave. Neji was using his byakugan in order to scout the new room so as to guess what the next test would be. The first one was rather easy, since Neji was in fact a genius.

Suddenly, the new proctor approached by using a strange shunshin inside the room. It was like he appeared from inside the shadows. "Hello chunnin hopefuls, I'll be the proctor of the chunnin exams. I am known as the illusionist and an Anbu captain, this second test will be genjutsu. The test will be quite simple yet dangerous. Each of you'll be tested with mind attacking genjutsus first to see it you have the psychological strength in order to become chunnin and second you'll be tempted to face your worst nightmare. Note that I didn't say that these tests will happen in such an order. Sometimes, a genjutsu doesn't appear until you are already in and must be able to distinguish real from illusion" – Said the proctor with rather emphasis on the illusion word, scaring a few of them including Naruto who remembered being the receiving ends of said illusions with Kurenai.

"Now, since this is an individual exercise, each of you will be directed to the chambers in front of you. Since they are forty five people here and night chambers, you will form a line of five each in front of each chamber and one by one will be tested" – Said the Illusionist, before seeing all genins in line for the test. Naruto was the third of his line and so was Neji and Tenten. The proctor finished explaining that once the test was done, there two doors will open. If you pass, the door on the right will open and if you lose, the door on your left will guide you towards the exit.

Slowly, the first ones entered and the show started. A short time after the initiation of the test, everyone could hear certain screams of fright of what could only be the torture and the nightmares. When was Naruto's time, he entered slightly frightened from what he was about to see. The torture wasn't what he was worried about but the nightmare did. As he walked in the chamber, he saw a chair and ushered to seat in it. Immediately, after a hooded man appeared in front of him and the only sight was the man's devious smile towards Naruto. "Chunnin applicant, your test will begin "**Magen Makai Akumu no Jutsu" (**Demonic Illusion Hell Nightmare Technique).

Instantly, Naruto was transported to his worst nightmare in existence. What appeared on his eyesight suddenly made his heart froze to death. He was surrounded by Iwa Jounins, while he was watching the rest of the Namikaze family all pierced on the wall by kunais and shurikens with blood all over the place. Minato was receiving punches, kicks, kunai stabs while screaming for his life and Kushina was in the same situation. Naruto managed to see a kunai piercing her stomach, killing her instantly along with the baby. Instantly, tears were falling from his face while he was hearing laughs of joy from the Iwa jounins. "Tou-san, Kaa-san. Noooooo" – Screamed Naruto in sadness although no one could hear since the Iwa jounins were laughing evilly towards him.

While Naruto was taking his test, Minato and some elite jounins were watching each only Konoha genin's nightmares while chunnins evaluated the progress of the other villages. Minato could only look at Naruto's nightmare and sighed, seeing that Iwa's failed attempts on him got to his head like that. Minato was trying to hold his tears as he saw what Naruto's nightmare was._ Naruto, you're always smiling. Why didn't you tell me you bottled this up. Why?? _– Screamed Minato inside his head.

Kakashi was watching as well and scenes from the Great War prompted inside his head. Naruto-kun, you shouldn't have bottle up like that, but you're a ninja now and as such you need to overcome this illusion and then this nightmare will end once and for all.

Naruto for his part was crying like he ever cried before. Every time he dismissed this darkness, it seemed that now they are all coming back to him. He was so entranced with the nightmare, that he forgot he was at the chunnin exams. _'Tou-san, Kaa-san, Misao-chan…Wait, I'm still at the chunnin exams and how could my father, the most powerful ninja of Konoha be captured? Man, this is an illusion. This ain't real, I got to break this thing_. _"_kaaai" – Screamed Naruto with all intensity as the chamber suddenly appeared and the cloaked man scribbled the approval of the first part. "Now, chunnin applicant, you'll be test in torture like genjutsu. So sit tight and let's see how long you can hold. "**Magen Seishin Hyomenka"**(Demonic Illusion Mind Breaking Technique).With that, Naruto almost immediately passed out, barely holding up as his head seem to hurt like hell. This technique was invented by Ibiki and involved torturing the mind of the opponent. In order to pass the exam, Naruto needed to hold on for at least two minutes.

Needless to say Naruto was holding his clutches from the pain. Mentally, Naruto found the time to openly curse genjutsu if whoever was doing this, happen to read his mind. One minute already passed and blood could be seen getting out of Naruto' hands from keeping a strong grip. At one minute and a half, Naruto's eyes were starting to close, showing that he was close to passing out, but he opened them as last effort. "Congratulations, you passed. Go for the next phase". – Said the man to a new trembling Naruto who got up and took his time walking out of the chamber, only to see Kakashi standing next to the exit, seemingly waiting for him. "Naruto, I want to talk to you for a moment. Come" – Said Kakashi.

"Naruto, I want to talk about your second phase of the chunnin exams. Since there will be a pause for the third phase. Tell me why didn't you ever tell your parents or me about it? We could help you." – Asked Kakashi, clearly concerned for the blonde's mentality to which Naruto tried responding at first, but struggled for the words to get out. "Kakashi-sensei, I…I never wanted anyone to see me as someone who need to be rescued, I…" – Said Naruto as he looked down again much to Kakashi's dismay since Minato once told that Naruto never wanted to be saved. "Naruto, in the physical world, not needing to be saved, means ability, but inside your mind and your heart, means you'd have to be emotionless. In battle, the ninja have to keep his emotions in check, but in real life, emotions are what define a human being from mere machines." – Said Kakashi as he was seeing who once was a happy looking person, now with his eyes facing the ground in deep wonder.

As Kakashi left, Naruto turned to think. He wasn't worried about the fact that Kakashi knew of his nightmare even though he didn't tell anyone about it. He knew that the genins was being tested in more ways than before. He was thinking about what Kakashi said about bottling up said nightmares and what worried him to no end was if the way he chose to go in life was the wrong way or if he chose the wrong answer.He was remembering Kakashi's advice.

**Flashback on**

"Naruto, in the physical world, not needing to be saved, means ability, but inside your mind and your heart, not needing help, you'd have to be emotionless. In battle, the ninja has to keep his emotions in check, but in real life, emotions are what define a human being from mere machines."

**Flashback off**

Images of everyone that the blonde met was passing through his mind and everyone was looking at him with sad eyes, much like Kakashi was back then. Naruto figured that sometimes keeping things could very well be his damnation if not held properly. Therefore, never again would he keep such things from anyone. Naruto was worried that his emotions weren't in check; he could very well be the cause of a failed mission or even worse, the death of a teammate. As Naruto rose from his seat, he came across a trembling Neji coming out of his chamber.

"Neji, are you okay?" – Asked Naruto, though he now understood why Kakashi was so concerned with him. "I'm okay, I just need to sit a little bit. I never would think that my worst nightmare could appear like that, oh man the image of seeing your own eye being taken off your face was terrifying to say the least." – Said Neji to which Naruto flinched. Of course, All Hyuugas relied on their eyes more than anything and to lose them was the end of their lives.

After a while, Tenten got out of her chamber, although her nightmare was that her weapons turned against her in battle. Tenten's weapons were like a part of herself and for her, seeing such a thing was pure torture. Minutes later, Anko appeared, congratulating them for passing the two tests and then guided them to the next room which opened up to be an old indoor training ground.

In the middle of the room, Genma was waiting with his toothpick between his teeth. After the last ones that passed the second test, arrived. Genma cleared his throat. In the end, since now they were counting the genins individually, ten genins passed, being three from Konoha, one from Suna, two from Kumo, two from Iwa and two from Kiri. "Congratulations for passing the first and second phases of the chunnin exams. Each test served to test your abilities and to see if you're worthy of being called chunnin. Since you're in low number right now, we don't need to have a preliminary fight. So in one month time, there will be held a tournament with one-on-one fights, each of you will draw a number and we'll assemble the order of the fighting. Now the reason why it will be in one month time is because daimyos from all the elemental countries will be invited as well as the respective kages".

After all of them picked their numbers, the order was assembled. Naruto would be second to fight, Neji the third and Tenten the last one. As they were dismissed in order to train for the period of a month. Naruto decided to focus on taijutsu and adapting with his trench knifes and then maybe he thought of giving another shot as his theory behind the **Raiton Ikazuki Butoukai Hou no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Thunder Ball Cannon Jutsu)**. **Neji on their hand, was thinking of asking Anko to master the **Doton Doryuudan no Jutsu (**Earth Style: Earth Dragon Projectile Jutsu**) **while Tenten wanted to master a scroll that Anko gave her about the technique called **Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu **(Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu)and **Katon Karyuu Endan no Jutsu **(Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Projectile Jutsu).

After the dismissal from Genma, Naruto went straight to his house in order to rest and then come up with a training schedule of his own. But Naruto, even though he managed to break the genjutsu as well as hold his will with the torture, he couldn't shake the feeling that Kakashi wasn't the only one to witness his nightmare. However he was glad that Kakashi had that conversation with him about not bottling up emotions or nightmares for yourself. As he arrived home, he went straight to his room, but not before telling his mother that he passed the first stages of the chunnin exams and a congratulations from her as well.

* * *

**--The next day—**

On the next day, he got up and went down stairs for some quick breakfast before heading for a training ground. After travelling for a few miles, Naruto arrived in what appeared to be a deserted training ground near Konoha's Forest. Seeing the need to amplify his physical skills a bit, Naruto decided to go against his father. "**Genshuku Gokuin Juu" **(Sealing Technique: Gravity Seal 10x). After applying the seal with the kanji on it, Naruto suddenly was tossed to the ground in such force that he almost regretted doing it, but manage to get up. Seeing that the seal was putting a lot of burden for Naruto to carry, just like his father told him, Naruto abandoned the idea of overdoing it with the 10x gravity seal. After all, his father only achieved such a mark when he was 16 years old.

After recuperating, Naruto figured that if he had one month to train, than the first ten days he would be training taijutsu, kenjutsu with his knifes and agility techniques. Doing the seals for the kage bunshin, appeared six Narutos in front of him grinning like maniacs since they knew who their opponent would be. "Okay, clones, our training begins now. Come at me with all you got" – Said the real Naruto getting into the Namikaze's taijutsu.

While Naruto was having his way with the clones, a certain bearded man was watching his training with a smirk. Asuma was never present in Naruto's life, the only thing he done for him was to handle him his twin knifes and that was it. Of course Asuma didn't know at the time that Naruto would invent a style on his own regarding his knifes and the use of long-ranged ninjutsu afterwards. As Asuma returned from being one of the 12 guardians of the Daimyou, Minato had him doing long term missions in order to make up for the time lost.

But even though Asuma was never around, he received constant news about the Hokage's son taking on his role as a jutsu maker and Asuma had to admit. The boy had skills with the techniques he invented. Little did he know that Naruto managed to improve one of Suna's fuuton jutsus. As Asuma was watching, two clones kick Naruto's guts sending the real one towards a tree, just for the real one to use his legs as landing as well as making an impulse with chakra, literally flying towards one of the clones, punching him in the face. The last one attacked Naruto in a hopeless attempt, only to be on the receiving end of a roundhouse kick from the real Naruto.

Cursing himself from seeing that he has been beating kage bunshin since forever, he knew he needed a partner to spar and he couldn't ask Neji or Tenten, since both of them were competing against him. And now that his source of training is useless, he was starting to worry that he wouldn't have anyone to aid him since he dismissed training with Anko, since she had to teach high level ninjutsu to Neji and Tenten. He couldn't go see his father, since he was busy with the invitations for the chunnin exam tournament and Kakashi is on Anbu as well as Yuugao. Ninjutsu training wouldn't suffice for him, since he along with his father believe that flashing high level ninjutsus was just a waste of chakra if not used along with taijutsu or kenjutsu.

As Naruto was contemplating on his month training, he heard a couple of footsteps to his right and was surprised to see Sarutobi Asuma approaching him. Naruto wasn't close to the man in any sort of way. The only thing they had in common was that both used fuuton trench knifes against Kenjutsu users. "Naruto-kun, how have you been?" – Asked Asuma to which Naruto smiled casually and responded. "Hello Asuma-san, I'm training for the last part of the chunnin exams".

"Ah, chunnin exams, it seems a lot of stuff happened during my absence, I can tell. Say, why don't we have some lunch and you can tell me about how life has been for you and we can discuss about your training for the chunnin exams, seeing that you have fuuton affinity as well as I do, maybe I can oversee your training for the month." – Asked Asuma, clearly not aware of Naruto's other affinity as well as the fact that he had a kind of natural affinity for wind. "Okay, Asuma-san, I'm kind of hungry anyway. Might as well get something to eat, then I can think clearly about my training" – Said Naruto as he walked alongside Asuma towards the Barbeque place.

As Naruto and Asuma were walking, Naruto was telling him about his other affinity, his missions as part of team 5 with Anko, Neji and Tenten. Also Naruto told Asuma, since he was the only few fuuton users in Konoha, about how he improved the kaze no yaiba, by decided to show him before saying his secret. Asuma for his part was impressed by the boy. Inventing jutsus and improving them as his age was no small feat.

* * *

**--At the Barbeque Place--**

Inside, after they ordered, Naruto turned to talk about the fact that his difficulty in training taijutsu, since the usage of kage bunshin became second nature to him and he could anticipate their movements. Also, he told about finding a sparring partner that could train him in taijutsu and trench knifes. "Well, Naruto-kun, since you are in need for some training, I could very well assist you. I've got back from a long-term mission and the hokage gave me some time off. Also, I could see if you need some help in fuuton ninjutsu, seeing that I'm also a fuuton user" – Said Asuma to which Naruto started thinking about the offer. _Asuma is a jounin and the one who gave me the trench knifes, I can practice taijutsu with him and maybe he can teach me some strategy with fuuton as well. _"I could use the help, Asuma-san, thank you". – Said Naruto as he picked his chopsticks and ate his barbecue with a smile on his face.

Across their table, Yuugao and Kurenai were enjoying a conversation together, apparently oblivious to the fact that Naruto was there as well. Well, it was more like Yuugao teasing and Kurenai blushing. Kurenai once told the purple haired Anbu about the guy named Asuma and the fact that the genjutsu user was for the first time in her life attracted to someone. As they were talking, Naruto's voice reached their ears and they turned to see that not only Naruto was there but also Kurenai's crush Sarutobi Asuma. Yuugao knew what Naruto wanted with Asuma, since she knew that he passed the first parts of the chunnin exams from Anko and since Naruto's trench knife style was similar to Asuma, she figured Naruto wanted some tips on strategies using the trench knifes in combination with fuuton and perhaps raiton ninjutsu. _Uh, very clever aren't you Naruto-kun? I'm eager to see you fight at the third part of the chunnin exams'_

"Kurenai-chan, I will go there and say hello to Naruto. You can come if you want, seeing that the guy you have a crush on is also sitting right there." – Said Yuugao as he got up and walked straight towards Naruto's table with Kurenai behind her, much to Yuugao's delight for further use of blackmail against the genjutsu mistress. "Hello Naruto-kun, how are you doing?" – Asked Yuugao out of the blue, making Naruto turn his head towards her direction and smile.

"Hi, Yuugao-chan, I'm doing fine and you? I was just talking with Asuma for further training regarding my trench knife style. Hi Kurenai-chan, I see you're doing well" – Said Naruto, earning a smile and a nod in affirmative from Kurenai who after exchanging looks with the bearded man, blushed a little, much to Yuugao's delight and total frustration from not having a camera right now. "Naruto-kun, congratulations on passing the first steps of the chunnin exams, I can already see the chunnin vest in you and I can say for sure you'll look pretty handsome in it" – Said Yuugao, receiving a blush in response and an lifted eyebrow from the bearded man who thought about if what he saw was true. '_Did she flert with him?'_

"Thanks, Yuugao-chan. I really hope I can pass the exams." – Said Naruto smiling with determination, contrary to a goofy smile, it was most like grinning. Asuma for his part was watching the conversation with interest, seeing that somehow the purple haired Anbu has an affinity with Naruto. "Okay, Naruto-kun. Why don't we start training, then? Let's go to the same training ground from before and you can teach the extension of the kaze no yaiba". – Said Asuma before seeing what once was a smiling Yuugao, now she was scowling Naruto from not showing her his new jutsu. "What?? You invented a new jutsu and you didn't tell me?" – Screamed Yuugao in anger to which Naruto answered that he invented the day prior to the chunnin exams and only managed to show to the hokage, which managed to relax Yuugao's temper for a bit. Naruto and Yuugao always exchanged knowledge concerning the ninja arts and therefore when one of them learned a new jutsu, the other would see a demonstration. "Okay, Naruto-kun. But we're going with you to see your new technique". – Said Yuugao with authority towards the genin.

Kurenai for her part, after hearing the conversation, felt like getting revenge on Yuugao's teasing. "But Yuugao-chan, you didn't show Naruto the Shuishouha, what about that?" – Asked Kurenai, before seeing a pale Yuugao and a slightly angry Naruto from knowing that Yuugao did the same thing to him yet she chose not to show him the technique. "Oh, Yuugao-chan, you managed a new technique and didn't let me know. I'm offended. I didn't show you mine since it was the day of the chunnin exams but you could show your new technique to me, yet you chose not to. Tell you what, I'll do the same thing and not show you mine, then." – Said Naruto, apparently angry with the purple haired Anbu, but he was just messing with her, much to Kurenai's delight from earning some blackmail against her friend.

"Okay. I'm sorry Naruto-kun. Would you please show me your technique? I won't do it again, I promise" – Said Yuugao with a saddened voice that Naruto immediately regretted his choice of words, but the damage was already done. "Forget about it Yuugao-chan. You're just too beautiful for me to stay angry at you." – Said Naruto, making Yuugao blush, but inside she was thinking more in terms of jumping on him and stealing a kiss from the blonde.

* * *

**--At the training ground--**

After the little couple conversation, the group headed for the training grounds so that the couple could show each one their respective jutsus. "So Yuugao-chan, you go first. Tell me about this Suishouha of yours." – Said Naruto to which Yuugao smiled and proceed to the explanation. "The name is **Suiton Suishouha no Jutsu (**Water Style: Water Collision Destruction Jutsu). My father taught me the technique and I mastered a couple days ago. Here let me show you". – Said Yuugao as he made the hand seals and a huge torrent of water erupted from below her and send a powerful wave towards a near lake. Naruto was marveled at Yuugao's display of suiton ninjutsu. Yuugao for her part always enjoyed surprising the blonde and berated herself from not showing him the technique before. "Okay, Naruto-kun, now you can show us your new technique."

"Okay, you already know the **Fuuton Kaze no Yaiba. **So, I manage to improve by multiplying the swords. With that, I can use against more than one enemy, since I can also direct the attack. I call it **Fuuton Baisuu Kaze no Yaiba**(Wind Style: Multiple Wind Swords Jutsu). First, I use the Shouheki in order to create the wind current and then I only have to shape the wind sword without needing to worry about creating wind anymore." – Said Naruto, immediately earning Asuma's attention from the boy's logic and the fact that it made sense. The Shouheki even it was for defensive issues, could be used as an extension for other techniques. As he watched the two typhoons appear in front of Naruto and the air current appears in front, he was mesmerized at the number of wind swords appearing in front of Naruto and slicing every tree on the way.

"Naruto-kun, I didn't see anything. What did the technique do?" – Said Yuugao, apparently saying for Kurenai who also was also thinking about it, to which Asuma simply pointed to a group of 10 trees that was sliced in half, making Yuugao and Kurenai flinch at seeing Naruto slice the tree with little to no resistance. Needless to say that both of them were impressed with the deadly technique, Asuma for his part was enjoying immensely, after seeing how easy it was to expand Suna's most prized jutsus.

After demonstrating the technique, Naruto talked a little with the group who later went to different places, leaving Naruto and Asuma to train for the chunnin exams. Yuugao and Kurenai vowed to make an effort to watch Naruto's match.


	10. Chunnin tournament pt1

**Chapter 10 – Chunnin tournament**** pt.1**

Two weeks after Naruto's demonstration to Yuugao and Kurenai, the blonde and Asuma were sparring against each other. Naruto really enjoyed getting some expertise in fuuton ninjutsu from the bearded jounin, since not only Asuma got to teach him more about his twin knife taijutsu style, but also Naruto managed to learn two really interested fuuton jutsus under the bearded jounin's guidance: **Fuuton Dai Kamaitachi (**Wind Style: Great Cutting Whirlwind) and **Fuuton Reppushou (**Wind Style: Gale Wind Palm). While the first created a razor sharp wind bigger than the kaze no yaiba, the second consisted of a strong and concentrated gust of wind.

Back to his fight, Asuma and Naruto were clashing knifes at each other rather slowly, so that Naruto could learn how to see Asuma's attack patterns and then increase the rhythm slowly. Asuma was impressed with Naruto's skills while mixing taijutsu and ninjutsu strategically. He knew that Naruto would pick it from his father Minato, whom according to Asuma was one of the best ninjas ever and the way he mixed ration ninjutsu with his taijutsu style was simply amazing to watch. Now here was Asuma teaching the next generation of Namikaze Minato and truth be told, Naruto was very much on the way of becoming one very good shinobi just like his father. "Very good Naruto; now that you improved your fighting skills, I want to teach you a move of mine. I see that when you are with knifes, you can't use your hands to do hand seals so therefore ninjutsu is out of the picture. With this method of mine, you will be able to switch quickly between ninjutsu and taijutsu." – Said Asuma to which Naruto was hearing it intently. Naruto never thought about it, but it would be better than having to put it back inside the kunai holster and then picking it up again.

* * *

**--Meanwhile with Yuugao--**

While Naruto was training for the last part of the chunnin exams, Yuugao's Anbu team was scouting the region for possible threats near the chunnin exams date. Because of the chunnin exams, Konoha's gates are open for visitors, in other words, open for any sneak attack or even an invasion from another village when no one expected. This was supposed to be a normal scouting mission, just like it always had been. However, Yuugao was visibly pissed off right now. The reason was the new Anbu member of the team, Gekkou Hayate; the man was second in line for Konoha's best swordfighter next to her. But that wasn't why she was pissed; the reason was that the man couldn't stop asking her to go on a date with her and the steady coughs were trying to get a little bit annoyed. Yuugao didn't know but the coughs were actually so that the enemy underestimated him by thinking he was terribly sick, but what she did know was the guy had a knack for pissing her off and not in a good way though.

Actually, come to think about it, Yuugao wouldn't even consider going out with someone other than the blonde. It was not the fact that she was in love with him…well not yet anyway. The reason was that she would like to know how Naruto would behave in the future, before jumping to conclusions. As a friend, Naruto was more than okay in her book, but as a lover, the estimations were a lot higher and such a test would have to wait until sometime after he becomes chunnin, in order for him to have some more experience first.

"Neh, Yuugao-san, (cough) have you considered my offer huh?" – Asked Hayate once again to which Yuugao scowled at him behind the mask, but refrained herself from screaming at him. "Hayate-san, would you _please _drop it, I already told you 'no'. Besides, I already have one person in sight for a date, so don't hold your breath, trying to go out with me" – Said Yuugao, earning looks from Kakashi who even though was supposed to be the captain of this squad, didn't feel like reprimanding the newcomer, confident that his second in command would do just that. However Kakashi was interested to know just who the guy that Yuugao was talking about was. Kakashi knew that something was going on between Naruto and his second in command, but he didn't know was that far. That or Yuugao wasn't talking about Naruto which for the silver haired Anbu, it was little to no possibility that another person could gather Yuugao's interest other than the blonde Namikaze.

"Alright team; let's head back to Anbu HQ. Our mission is over." – Said Kakashi before seeing his team nod and follow him towards Anbu HQ.

* * *

**--Back with Naruto--**

Back to Naruto, the blonde was taking a little break from his training, while doing some meditation exercises. Even though this whole month was in order to improve his fuuton ability, Naruto figured that practicing raiton wasn't such a bad idea. After all, Naruto knew that the iwa genins would be after his head more than trying to become chunnin. Also the fact that Naruto was somehow tempted to think that if one of the iwa genins manages to kill him, he or she would be promoted to chunnin just from this fact alone. Therefore, since raiton ninjutsu were most effective against doton ninjutsu, Naruto needed to practice his raiton attacks. Not wanting to waste time, Naruto focused on raiton chakra and suddenly his body was surrounded by lightning.

Asuma was watching the Namikaze being surrounded with lightning and immediately sent his jaws to the ground. He knew that Naruto also had raiton affinity; however Asuma figured that Naruto was only training in fuuton ninjutsu. Asuma knew how hard it was to master elemental ninjutsu and he even knew how much harder it was to master a second elemental manipulation. Now Naruto here was doing just that with only 12 years old. _Damn, like father like son, I believe. _After a while, Naruto got up and started punching and kicking, being each attack fused with raiton chakra.

"Okay Naruto. That's it for today. I don't want you to overexert yourself. Those gravity seals of yours can do some serious damage to your body." – Said Asuma to which Naruto nodded. "Ok, Asuma-sensei. See you tomorrow then." – Said Naruto, earning a disappointed look from Asuma, making Naruto question what's wrong to which Asuma responded by saying that the Hokage gave him a mission near the fire temple and that he wouldn't have time to help Naruto with his training. Naruto, after hearing the news, nodded understanding since a jounin of Asuma's status just couldn't be training him all the time. Actually, Naruto thought that his father would call Asuma earlier. "Don't worry about it Asuma-sensei. I'll just train my raiton affinity, then. I appreciate for the lessons and hope that you can come see me at the chunnin exams, if not then, I see you when I see you." – Said Naruto before vanishing within a little tornado, making Asuma smile at the boy's carefree attitude, even after some hardships such as first kills and seeing your comrades getting hurt. Asuma was also puzzled as to how Naruto was able to mix fuuton chakra with the shunshin, but then shrugged it off seeing whose son he is. "I'll be sure to see your match kid." – Said Asuma before walking off to the west gate so to meet the team assigned to his mission.

* * *

**--With Naruto--**

Not feeling the need of more training, Naruto decided to have some lunch at Ichirakus, but he was surprised to see another blonde sitting there, chatting with old man Teuchi and Ayame. "Good afternoon Hokage-sama" – Said Naruto before seeing Minato flinch from hearing his son calling himself like that, even though he specifically asked for him to call him Tou-san when not at the office or while at shinobi duty. But then again, Minato was on hokage duty and Naruto was training for the chunnin exams. "Naruto-kun, how many times have I told you not to call me like that outside the office. Now, I understand Sarutobi's situation with Asuma-san" – Said Minato to which Naruto smiled, seeing that his father took the bait for his little prank. "Sorry Tou-san. I was just confused since you're wearing your uniform, so I thought you were on hokage duty…Old man, two miso ramens please" – Said Naruto to which Teuchi smiled and proceeded to make the noodles, while Minato sighed, since once again his son had the last word of the conversation. "Ok, Naruto. You won this time. So tell me how is training doing with Asuma?" – Asked Minato to which Naruto looked at him suspiciously, since he never mentioned telling anyone that Asuma was training him, well anyone except Yuugao and Kurenai.

"Now…even though you didn't tell me which hurt me deeply, by the way…Asuma told Sarutobi who in turn told me. He told some good stuff about you Naruto-kun. I'm proud of you. Konoha wasn't blessed with many wind users outside of the Sarutobi clan. Now, talking as your tou-san, I'd like to ask you a favor Naruto." – Said Minato, with the last part being dead serious to which Naruto caught it and asked what it was that his father needed of him. "Naruto, as Hokage I'm forbidding the usage of the gravity seal from being used as training." – Said Minato dropping the bomb to Naruto and his training, earning, of course, protests from the little Namikaze.

"Why would you do something like that? It did wonders for me and Yuugao-chan. And looks what it did to you." – Asked Naruto, now increasing his voice so as to make a point. Minato for his part sighed, already knowing it would be as hard for Naruto to let go of the seal as it was for him. "Naruto, the truth is that while the seal does wonder for training purposes, after a while of using, gravity starts causing damage to your body gradually, hindering your growth and damaging your bones in the long run. Another reason, I'm doing this, is because I'm worried about you and Yuugao-san. I did a check up this morning and the head doctor came to me, saying that my bones need some time to reconstruct. He told me that if I remained with the seal more time, there would be high chances that I wouldn't be able to fully heal my body. Even though reluctantly, I removed my 15x gravity seal. Please, I'm not saying as hokage, I'm saying as your father, please remove it and rest for a week." – Said Minato to which Naruto looked down, thinking.

Naruto was at loss of what to do right now. On one hand, the gravity seal actually improved his training like nothing else would; but if he ended up using it too much, he could severely damage his bone structure and hinder his growth. Since Naruto's 1x gravity seal until now, the seal acted more like a legal drug to Naruto. When the seal was off, he felt weird to say the least; it was like the force of gravity that was there before, simply vanished and he felt like floating easily. However, while Naruto was discussing the 'pros' and 'cons' of whether or not to keep the seal, another factor was that his father not only asked prohibited its practice but also asked him with concern clearly on his eyes.

Smiling, he made his decision. "**Fuuinjutsu Genshuku Gokuin Immetsu (**Sealing Technique: Gravity Seal Extinction**)**" – Said Naruto before seeing his gravity seal leave his body and immediately the feeling of lost in weight came down rushing him. Suddenly, Naruto started to eat his bowls of ramen, not even realizing that his arms were moving twice as fast as it normally would, making Teuchi and Ayame send their jaws to the ground while Minato smiled, since Kushina had that same reaction after he released the seals and ushered to the bathroom to wash up. "Easy, now; you need to get used to normal gravity now. Trust me it takes a little time." – Said Minato to which Naruto smiled and asked his father, since he remembered the other person who happens to use the gravity seal as well. "Tou-san, we should reach Yuugao-chan to tell her about the seal."

"Yes, I know that. Although I fear that she became more addicted than us. Come; let's go to my office so we can call for her. Teuchi-san, thanks for the lunch…delicious as always." – Said Minato before ushering Naruto to follow him towards his office.

* * *

**--At the Hokage's office--**

Once inside the office, Minato seated on his chair and called for his secretary in order to reach Anbu member Cat. Meanwhile, Naruto was going into details with his father about his training in fuuton ninjutsu. Also Minato gave Naruto a bonus from adding a new jutsu to Konoha's inventory, since any ninja who invented a new technique, would receive a bonus payment according to the technique's level. Since Naruto invented two A ranked techniques (being one of them S in Minato's head, since the technique could slice the opponent in multiple pieces), he earned the equivalent of an A ranked mission payment. Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared and Cat shunshined inside the Hokage's office. "Hokage-sama, how can I be of service?" – Asked Yuugao although she was puzzled as to why Naruto was there as well. "Yuugao-san, please lose the mask and seat, we have to talk about something urgent." – Said Minato to which the Anbu member nodded and took off her mask before smiling to Naruto, greeting him on the process. "Now, Yuugao-san, as I told Naruto, as of this moment I'm banishing the gravity seal training" – Said Minato to which Yuugao was completely flabbergasted about it.

Just like the Namikaze duo, Yuugao was addicted to the stuff, never forgetting to activate it before leaving home. Yuugao then looked at Naruto who in turn nodded and turned to speak. "Believe me Yuugao-chan; I behaved the same way you did when I heard the news. The point is that as a result of the gravity seal, the gravity starts damaging our body; our bones wouldn't be able to hold the extra weight and it would be impossible to fix it, once broke. However, with me reaching 9x almost 10x and you bearing on the 7x, I believe we had a good run with the seal." – Said Naruto to which Yuugao just stared at him, while thinking about it. '_Sure, the seal made her stronger and faster, but also if Naruto was right, then with time, my bones will begin to break or more fragile, making me useless on a fight, hell no. How the hell would I spar with Naruto-kun and doing Anbu missions?' "_Hokage-sama, even though the seal does wonders to training, I don't want to be useless on a fight in the future. I inherited too much of my father's pride to become useless while fighting. How can I remove the seal?" – Said Yuugao to which Minato and Naruto smiled for different reasons though.

Minato remembered the girl's father and also remembered the incorporation of bushido (samurai) in a shinobi. But Naruto was smiling from Yuugao's actions, knowing all about the fact that she would prefer to be dead, then to be considered useless while on a fight. '_That's Yuugao-chan alright. Never backing away, quite interesting and…no Naruto, take these pervert images out of your head.' _Yuugao for her part managed to see that Naruto was struggling within himself and smiled, wondering what the blonde would be thinking that got him acting like that. Yuugao knew that Naruto despised perverts_, _since one day he spotted a white haired man giggling like a school girl and sent a little gust of wind towards his direction, sending him right inside the woman's hot springs, earning quite a beating from the ladies. Yuugao remembered easily that day, since she happened to be inside the hot springs that day when she saw Naruto looking at the perverted man smiling after pushing him with wind chakra.

"Yuugao-san, indeed you have your father's blood running through your veins, now Naruto can do the honors for you" – Said Minato to which Naruto nodded and did the exact same procedure, therefore extinguishing the gravity seal. Because of it, Yuugao's body was lighter, making herself lose control of her body for a minute, ending up falling on the ground, being caught by Naruto who kneeled down next to her with a worried look on her face, since this wasn't supposed to happen. "Naruto-kun, don't worry about her. She just lost control of her body for a second. I bet it is because while you sometimes deactivated the gravity seal, Yuugao didn't. Am I right Yuugao-san?" – Asked Minato to which Yuugao nodded before locking eyes with Naruto for a minute. '_Wow, it's like two deep oceans. It's gorgeous' _– Thought Yuugao. Naruto for his part was entranced with her looks and now didn't care that images appeared inside his head, since Yuugao was like an angel to him.

Feeling the need to break the couple apart for now, Minato cleaned his throat a little bit just to get Naruto and Yuugao's attention for a moment, making both heads quickly turn and face a smiling hokage. "Now that both of you are paying attention, it's best for all of us to take it slow this week. So Yuugao-san, I'm giving you a two days vacation from Anbu services in order to be used without the gravity seal. Naruto, meditation for now; also in two days, you can train again. If you want, Kakashi-san will be available for a week of raiton training. Now I have some good news for the both of you. Since the ninja has to constantly to pump chakra through the body in order to move, your chakra capacity nearly doubled by now; also I wouldn't be surprised if your chakra control also improved as well. Now, go rest you two." – Said Minato before seeing Yuugao put her mask back on and vanishing in a puff of smoke while Naruto did the same but with wind chakra infused.

* * *

**--On top of the ****Administration Building--**

After the whole conversation inside Minato's office, Naruto and Yuugao appeared on top of the building, while looking at each other. When they looked at each other at the Hokage's office, both Naruto and Yuugao felt something entirely different from what they felt before. Yuugao was completely lost by Naruto's blue eyes while Naruto was entranced by her looks. Now, they were looking at each other, with both of them not sure of what to say to each other. Seeing that something had to be said, Yuugao put her job in front of the whole thing. "Naruto-kun, I…I must head to HQ in order to present Hokage's order to Kakashi-senpai" – Said Yuugao at loss of what to say to which Naruto nodded and responded. "Ah…ok. I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go have some lunch or something together." – Whispered Naruto while blushing madly, since he was kind of asking Yuugao on a date. "Naruto-kun, are you asking me on a date?" – Asked Yuugao, completely taken aback by the blonde's initiative. "Sure, pick me at seven. Here's the address." – Said Yuugao as she handed a piece of paper with her address written and then vanished.

* * *

**--With Naruto--**

Seeing that he still had four hours, Naruto sped up towards his house in order to rest a little bit and then get ready for dinner with Yuugao. On the way, Naruto remembered what he did and instantly a red color appeared on his face. _Oh man, did I just ask her on a date? And she said yes. _As Naruto was jumping through the rooftops, Naruto noticed someone tailing behind him, since said person was somewhat making large noises while landing their foots. During his training under Anko's guidance, Naruto didn't learn many ninjutsu, other than some which were more useful for infiltration and assassinations. Instead, Anko drilled knowledge into him about masking his chakra signature, hiding your trail when travelling so as not to be followed, as well as situations when you can 'sense' other's presences, either by hearing the enemy's footings or their heavy breathing. According to Anko's training, Naruto assumed that said person's skills was similar to an academy student, which was very strange to the blonde Namikaze, since while the man's tracking abilities were practically insignificant, he was able to follow Naruto's speed rather well, so it meant that either the guy just graduated from academy or is a freshmen genin.

Wanting to see the guy's level, Naruto suddenly vanished within a little tornado and appeared behind his follower. As Naruto's eyes focused on the figure that suddenly stopped since he lost his trail, he managed to see Konoha's head band, as well as an uchiha symbol behind the black man's blue shirt. "Tell me why were you following me, Uchiha?" – Said Naruto making the black man turn around scared, as well as trying to figure out how he lost Naruto's trail so easily. Naruto for his part was wondering if the boy grew silent on him or was actually trying to show he was not intimidated by Naruto's sudden evasion technique. "Well, since you're not talking, I will leave." – Said Naruto as he turned his back to the Uchiha with the only purpose of pissing the black haired boy off, since he knew from his father that Uchiha ninja were known for their extreme pride much to Uchiha Sasuke's anger. Sasuke was what could be considered 'stuck up' Uchihas; since he believed that no other ninja could stand against the sharingan. But now seeing that Naruto managed to evade Sasuke's sharingan with his evasion technique, as well as the fact that Naruto seemed to be looking at his feet rather than his eyes, proved that the blonde had knowledge on how to counter his doujutsu. "Fight me" – Said Sasuke to which Naruto just shrugged it off, since he didn't feel like fighting someone only so that the man could copy a technique or two. "Sorry, not interested. First, it's common sense to introduce yourself, then I'm not interested in fighting against you. Now if you don't mind, I'm going home. See ya" – Said Naruto before vanishing once again within a stronger tornado so that Sasuke couldn't copy the technique, since he had to protect his eyes from the wind force.

"Damn it. I wasn't able to copy anything with the sharingan" – Said Sasuke, still trying to see where the blonde Namikaze went, since he didn't knew the range of Naruto's shunshin technique. Grumbling about not fairness in treatment since he belonged to the elite, Sasuke left not at all aware of the fact that another Uchiha had followed him so as to see what Naruto would do against Sasuke. Itachi was surprised to see that Naruto, even though considered a stamina freak and quite eager to battle, managed to hold his ground and avoid confrontation. The Uchiha Anbu was blown away by the blonde's perception of Sasuke's real intentions. When Itachi told Sasuke about the Hokage's son, Sasuke was furious to say the least; in fact Sasuke came to a point where, even though Naruto was not only the Hokage's son, but also two years older than the little Uchiha, he believed himself to be superior in ability simply because of his family to which Itachi openly scowled him in front of the entire clan, saying that having a doujutsu isn't guaranteed to win a fight. Of course, this commentary set one Uchiha Fugaku on edge, since he was considered to be the proudest member of the Uchiha clan and the sharingan, saying from time to time that no one could beat the sharingan.

Back to Naruto, the boy shrugged the little Uchiha off his mind for two reasons. First, he was two years younger than him, therefore not even likely to meet him anytime soon and second because of his arrogant behavior, since the boy almost demanded a confrontation. Naruto was and always will be against favoritism. Being the Hokage's son, he had to endure some of the population 'kissing his ass' simply because of whose son he was and now he saw an example of how could his life be if he let people treat him like royalty. Uchiha Sasuke was the firm example of a spoiled child, who very likely would be killed the first time he faced a powerful enemy. Shrugging it off as in 'not his problem', Naruto arrived home a few minutes later.

* * *

**--At the Namikaze Residence--**

Inside, he was pleased to see that not only his mother was there, but his father was there as well. Add to the fact that Minato was gently caressing Kushina's pregnant belly, showing signs of appreciation towards his future daughter and Naruto's younger sister, Namikaze Misao. As he approached, he was greeted by his parents who ushered him to touch Kushina's belly so as to feel Misao kicking. After doing that, Naruto smiled at his family, imagining when his little sister would be born so that he could play with her. Naruto remembered Kakashi once telling him that Itachi was Sasuke's older brother and also that Itachi wasn't very much around Sasuke very much and promised himself that he would be around his sister's life, playing with her, teaching her some stuff, protect her and most important of all, be around her when possible.

However, because of his sister's topic, Naruto forgot that he was supposed to ask either Minato or Kushina about what to do on a date. "Ah….Tou-san…Kaa-san, I was thinking of asking for advice on something, if you don't mind." – Started Naruto, blushing slightly and scratching the back of his head. "Oh and what would that be, Naruto-kun? You know you can come to us for help anytime you want and we'll try our best to help you, now what's it?" – Asked Kushina, although she was pretty much aware of the topic of discussion, since she knew her son more than anyone and Naruto only blush when a certain topic was involved and that topic involved the mysterious world of dating. "Well….you see…I kind of asked Yuugao out to have dinner and she said….yes. So, I was hoping….if you guys would help me figure what to do." – Asked Naruto making Kushina smile and Minato lift his eyebrows surprised. Kushina smiled since she knew that her son would ask about that and Minato was surprised at not only seeing Naruto asking for help once in his life, but also saying that Yuugao accepted his dating invitation. It didn't mean he wasn't proud of his son, quite the contrary and Minato was sure to let everyone present know about this. "That's my boy….already dating. And even managing to get an older woman to accept; it seemed you're quite a womanizer hey Naruto-kun" – Said Minato, making Naruto blush even more and Kushina scowl at her husband for not helping the situation at all. "Naruto, don't listen to your father, even though we are indeed quite proud of you since you came to us for assistance, instead of asking help from a certain pervert" – Said Kushina, adding emphasis to the last part, as she eyed the adult Namikaze with anger.

At seeing such interaction, Naruto sighed concluding the obvious. According to what his mother told, apparently his father asked for Ero-Sennin Jiraya, his godfather for some tips and knowing the toad pervert, Naruto imagined Minato making bold declarations of his mother's figure, which of course his mother could only answer the compliment with a punch on Minato's face from being such a pervert. Minato for his part shivered in fear from remembering being sent to the hospital for two days after being on the receiving end of Kushina's flawless techniques against perverts and the most difficult time he had, trying to convince Kushina that he wasn't a perverted and that Jiraya was the one that advised him on the manner.

"Now Naruto, the first and most important rule is to be yourself. Trust me on this; if Yuugao accepted your invitation than she doesn't want anyone other than yourself to be her date. Now, as to where to take her, I would advise something neutral, like a sushi place or something like that. Konoha has many of these places and they are lot of places you could take her. However, you have to make your first date special, so you have to figure out something. Try searching your mind for what you know she would like and go for it. Now, etiquette in these situations are quite normal, there is no need to be extra formal, but you have to at least show that you can behave normally. Always remember some rules, though. Never let her pay for her meal, that shows that you are a gentleman and also mean that you are able to take her to a nice place once in a while, without her thinking that you can't afford or something. Also, know that since she is an Anbu jounin, she makes more money than you, now I know you had accomplished some B ranked missions recently and money is not an issue for you, but try not to go to an extra-expensive place. Last rule of all, try to relax and enjoy the company." – Explained Kushina as she was relating the important rules of dating to Naruto who in turn wanted to hug his mother for helping him with this, only stopping himself since he could damage the baby.

Showing his appreciation for the help, Naruto run upstairs to get dressed and choose on what to wear for the special event. After he arrived inside his bedroom, he went to take a shower quickly. While washing his body, his thoughts drifted off to what he could do to surprise Yuugao. Immediately he began shifting through everything he ever heard about Yuugao and trying to come up with a great surprise for her. After some time, an idea suddenly appeared inside his head. One time he read a book about samurais and the fact that the samurais enjoyed fighting below the moonlight, because of the way their swords reflects its light. There was also some aspects to the blood being spilled, but that was irrelevant at the moment. Naruto knew that the Uzuki clan was founded by samurais a long time ago and the fact that the woman happens to be one of the best kenjutsu user in Konoha only improved her success rate.

* * *

**--With Yuugao--**

Still dizzy from Naruto's sudden approach, Yuugao was slowly jumping through rooftops so as to get once again acquainted to her normal body weight, since the seal wasn't there anymore. She was thinking about going on a date with Naruto all of a sudden and the truth was that while she wanted to go eventually, she wanted to wait at least until he was fourteen or even chunnin rank already. However, she was impressed when Naruto came asking her out like that. Yuugao was so caught in wondering what would be like dating Naruto that she didn't realize that she was in front of Anbu HQ and also the fact that she forgot about the Hokage's orders to be handed to Kakashi-senpai.

Once inside the HQ, Yuugao found Kakashi looking at a mission scroll intently. Once he looked up, he spotted her looking at him while holding a piece of paper. "Ohayo, Yuugao-san, may I ask what that piece of paper is about?" – Asked Kakashi, though never taking his eyes off his mission scroll. Yuugao for his part handed the paper to Kakashi as in wanting him to read rather than her to tell him. Naruto

After reading, Kakashi sighed. What he read was an order from Hokage to give Yuugao a two day vacation in order to get reacquainted with her normal weight. However, Kakashi had no other choice, having to ignore the Hokage's orders, since the mission his team was about to do consist of an information gathering mission near Konoha's marked district. "I'm sorry Yuugao-san; we cannot comply with such an order. Our team has an information gathering mission around Konoha's market district. However, you don't need to worry since we won't be doing any physical effort." – Said Kakashi, making Yuugao look down slightly sad about not being able to rest a little bit. _Oh no, Naruto's date. I have to tell him. _

"I understand senpai." – Said Yuugao still looking down, making Kakashi wonder why his second in command was sad about taking such a mission. If his mind served him correctly, the woman was eager for each assignment, never once backing away from a challenge, now here she is showing signs of not wanting to ditch the mission. Something was definitely amiss with his vice-captain and something told him that a certain blonde was involved. Kakashi knew that Naruto was having feelings for her and he also knew such a feeling was mutual, but if she was sad about Naruto, maybe the boy faced her about asking her for a date.

However seeing it as a personal matter, Kakashi shrugged it off, telling her to meet their team in twenty minutes on top of the Anbu HQ and then disappeared within a swirl of leaves, leaving Yuugao to her thoughts. She thought about what she would say to Naruto that she wouldn't be able to attend their date. Instantly, Yuugao cursed the blonde from rarely seeing him sad about something, except the time of his first kill, since, because of this, she didn't know he would react to the news. Her professional side said that he would understand since she had a mission; however her personal side told that the blonde Namikaze would be crushed to be stood up like this. After measuring the two sides, Yuugao sighed, seeing that she didn't have a choice.

However because of the fact that their date would have to postponed, that didn't mean that she would leave him waiting outside her door forever. Since she had time to meet her team, she quickly left HQ and speed up to Naruto's house since it was relatively close. After a quick travel, Yuugao landed at the building in front of Naruto's house, more specifically his room. Quickly scribing a little note explaining her motive of absence, she strapped it within a kunai and threw it at the open window's direction and then seeing it pierce Naruto's wall. Satisfied, Yuugao then left towards her rendezvous point where she was supposed to meet her team, wishing Naruto would understand her situation.

* * *

**--Back with Naruto--**

Getting out of the shower, Naruto heard the sound of something inside his room and then went there to investigate. Seeing the Kunai which he figured belong to Yuugao, Naruto smiled and yanked the little note attached to it.

_Naruto-kun, I sorry about cancelling our date; the fact is that right after I was about to handle Hokage's order, Kakashi-senpai told me about the necessity of my presence on a mission our team will be fulfilling. I hope that you can forgive me and I hope we can schedule another date for us. Also, since we'll be doing an information gathering mission, I don't know when it will be over. I'm sorry yet again. Hopefully, I'll get to see your performance at the chunnin exams. Good luck with your training, Naruto-kun and once again forgive me._

_Yuugao_.

After Naruto read the note, he smiled upon seeing her consideration with him. However, he would remember to scowl her from apologizing so much, even though she had a perfectly accepted motive. A ninja's mission always came before their social life and therefore Naruto understood that. Gently yanking the kunai off the wall, Naruto kept the kunai close from his own set and put a different set of clothes than he was supposed to wear. Although Naruto wasn't leaving today, he would be able to attend his best hobby which was to watch the full moon and all its glory.

Some would think after all these years, watching the full moon would eventually get tiring and therefore Naruto would stop doing it. However, few actually knew that Naruto was literally addicted to such a light. True to his father's words once, Naruto was like a werewolf except the obvious part of resembling a wolf physically. However since he still had some time until the full moon was scheduled to appear; Naruto directed his attention to the scroll of the most difficult technique yet. The **Raiton Ikazuchi Butoukai Hou **(Lightning Style: Thunder Ball Cannon Jutsu) was by far Naruto's most difficult technique yet, taking almost two years to learn it fully. Until now, Naruto was able to master the ball formation, though he had still to guess how much of **Fuuton Daitoppa (**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu) he needed to launch the ball successfully.

Now looking at the scroll for what seemed like 1100th time he did so, Naruto threw it hard on top of his table, showing just how stupid he was, seeing that the only way to achieve the technique was to practice it, rather than once again read the theory which by the way he already memorized everything. What Naruto needed right now was a way of not rather launch the ball, but instead control its path somehow? _Wait, control the path of objects, why that sentence seems familiar to me…..I remember Asuma-sensei telling me something about that, but then he thought I was still inexperienced to be able to do such a thing._

**Flashback on**

_Naruto was practicing some new katas from Asuma's twin knife style when Asuma called him up. "Naruto, come here for a second" – Said Asuma making Naruto drop his stance and then walk towards his temporary sensei. "Naruto, I see that now isn't much more I can teach you regarding fuuton ninjutsu, however there is a final technique that only Suna jounin or even higher can do. It's called __**Fuuton Suiran Reppu (**__Wind Style: Verdant Mountain's Violent Wind). This specific jutsu is ranked as a C ranked one by Suna's standards, however while its rank is low, the ninja's chakra control would have to be far from excellent. This technique can control an object's movements, watch." – Said Asuma, as he threw one of his trench knifes on the ground and made the technique. _

_What happened next made Naruto's eyes grow big as he saw the knife literally getting off the ground on its own and start spinning madly. Upon seeing Asuma, Naruto managed to see that Asuma was doing the mi (snake) seal and applying fuuton chakra towards the knife, controlling her movements. "Wow, Asuma-sensei, do you think I can do that?" – Asked Naruto, definitely eager to learn it. "Unfortunately no Naruto; while I can see that you almost perfected your fuuton ninjutsu, you'd need to have almost perfect chakra control in order to perform this technique." – Said Asuma, before seeing the boy look down sadly. _

**Flashback off**

"Huh, I wonder if such a technique is listed in my book" – Said Naruto before picking the book in question. It's been a while since Naruto opened his fuuton ninjutsu book since he figured that he did learn quite a lot of fuuton techniques. However, as he was flipping through pages, he realized his foolishness in seeing that the book still contained even more jutsus, making Naruto wonder if he could even memorize all of them. As he flipped through the pages in search for the jutsu in question, he found it near the book's end, which was no surprise to him if what Asuma said was true. According to Asuma, the jutsu was tough because of the chakra control needed in order to control the direction of objects.

As he read the jutsu's description, the theory consisted of surrounding the object with a little typhoon. After that, the ninja would get to control the typhoon, which meant that the object would be controlled as well. Once he stopped reading, he found that the theory was once again rather simple, but like always, the practice was the toughest part. _Huh, in order to make a typhoon around the thunder ball, I have to be sure not to mix both of them, since it would dissipate both energies or worse….the energy from the encounter can come back at me, attacking me_ _instead._

After thorough consideration, Naruto figured that since the raiton technique would no longer be shot straight forwards, might as well make some changes to it. If Naruto's theory proved to be correct, then he could control the thunder ball through whatever direction he want, therefore eliminating one of the attack's weakness which would be if the enemy simply moved out of the ball's path. Therefore, a: little change of name would be in order, Naruto thought. _Okay, since it won't be considered cannon then, how about simply eliminating that part. _"Ok, then this technique will be from now on called **Raiton Ikazuchi Butoukai **(Lightning Style: Thunder Ball Jutsu). Now, that the name is set, let's see if I can make this technique finally work.

Since Naruto's focus was diverted towards his lightning jutsu, Naruto forgot to pay attention to the fact that the sun was setting down and that the moon was rising up to the sky, illuminating everything once again. "Wow, it's night already. The time sure passes quickly when you're having fun. Now, let's set everything up on the roof so I can enjoy the moonlight." – Said Naruto as he shunshined up to the roof and there he stood sitting with his legs crossed, looking up to the magnificence that happen to illuminate Konoha with its light. "Wow, so beautiful!" – Whispered Naruto as a broad smile appeared on his face.

* * *

**--The day of the tournament--**

Two weeks after, the chunnin tournament date arrived. Because of the sun light, Naruto awoke, though a little grumpy from his month training so far. Being able to pass the first steps of the chunnin exams, managed to rise even more Naruto's need to become stronger, therefore training essentially kept him occupied for quite a lot of time with very few spare time to relax and enjoy the sight he got from the Hokage Monument, being that his favorite place to go. However there was one thing Naruto wasn't happy about and that's being Yuugao's sudden disappearance from view. Since her note explaining (well more apologizing then explaining) the reason for her absence, the purple haired Anbu had yet to be seen.

Naruto even had the trouble of asking Kurenai and Anko about it, but both of them told him not to worry since Anbu got some long term missions from time to time. Still Naruto wanted at least to see her before the chunnin tournament began. It was not because he was scared or because he wanted some reassurance of his abilities, but rather her presence to see him fight. Since they meet with each other, their rivalries only grew and spite the fact that both of them had feelings for each other, both of them were warriors at heart.

Nonetheless, Naruto wouldn't brood too much on this and kept up with his training. His taijustu was improved greatly after he got accustomed to his natural weight. Also he managed himself against ten kage bunshins which while he was with the gravity seal, he couldn't take more than six of his clones without having to dissipate them. After that he only improved his ninjutsu techniques, hoping one day to fully master them. However, his twin knife style training was solely reverted to practicing Asuma's move in order to connect the style with ninjustu. Even though Naruto were victorious at the end accomplish to maneuver the technique, it took some time from him to do so. The reason was because at first he couldn't do fast enough, therefore knowing that the enemy wouldn't wait for him to complete before taking the advantage head on.

Lastly, Naruto's ultimate raiton technique was almost completed which he glad since he pretty much spent two years trying to do so. While he could control the lightning ball now with the **Fuuton Suiran Reppu**, he could only do so within a short distance before the lightning ball dissipated or just would continue its last course before the control ended. He seriously didn't want to depend on such jutsu, because of a number of things that could go wrong at the moment. For the technique to be accurately performed, he needed at least a considerable quantity of chakra capacity since not only because of the focus on holding the technique, but also since he ended up using chakra in order to control the lightning ball.

Getting up, Naruto went to the bathroom in order to wash up and do all the necessities. After that he put his outfit and stared at the mirror wondering if today would be the day that he would either add a chunnin vest on top of it or succumb to Konoha's standard chunnin outfit. Putting that aside for now, Naruto went down stairs just to see his mother having breakfast quietly. Seating quietly as not to disturb his mother's moment, Naruto grabbed a few things to eat and some milk. Upon looking at her one more time, Naruto smiled seeing that Kushina was trapped into another dimension, playing, talking and singing to her future daughter. Naruto knew from his father how attached she was to him during pregnancy and while someone would expect jealousy from Naruto since he was about to become a chunnin and his mother didn't even say a word, but he knew better that Kushina always wanted a little girl. Not to say that Naruto also wanted a little brother or sister, always dreaming about how much he could play with him or her or even teach some stuff if he or she wanted to become a ninja there is.

Getting up, he went towards the door before taking a look back to see his mother and smiled, knowing that his sister will be treated with much care and love as he did, even better since now he would be there as well. _I have to become stronger to be able to protect her as well._ Thought Naruto as he jumped towards the next building forwards the place where the tournament would take place. On the way, he was considering the competition. Because of the number of competitors, the fights had to be arranged so that each genin fights at least two times.

* * *

**--With Yuugao--**

Meanwhile, Yuugao was going through a wide list of curses inside her head because of her situation right now. As a result of her last mission, her Anbu team managed to find out some illegal activities going on inside Konoha's market district, therefore her Anbu team was inside a room going through trade documents in order to find documental proof. The reason why she was pissed was because it's been two weeks since she literally stood Naruto up and today would be his chunnin tournament. She had promised him that she would be there to see him fight, but this mission was still far from over and ever second that passed was becoming like torture to Yuugao.

* * *

**--At the chunnin stadium--**

After Naruto's arrival, he saw his team gathering in front of what seemed like the tournament chart. As he arrived closer, he greeted Tenten, Neji and Anko who turned to greet him as well. "Ohayo Naruto. Tell me how did training go?" – Asked Neji to which Naruto smiled and answered. "It was excellent, Neji. Although I will refrain telling any of you since we may be facing each other, won't we?" – Said Naruto asking that next part while looking at the board.

As he looked, Anko began explaining the order of the fights. "We actually don't know if you guys will fight each other or not. The first battle will be between a genin from Kumo and one from Kiri. The second one will be between you Naruto and a Suna genin named Takashido Oroi. Next one will be Neji's fight against a genin from Kumo. Be careful Neji, some people uses this fights not to become chunnins, but rather to complete an objective set by his respective village; I'm not saying he will be after the byakugan, but stay on alert. The forth fight will be between another genin from Kiri and a genin from Iwa. The fifth one will be between you Tenten and a genin from Iwa. Since there is an uneven number of a fighter, Tenten, in case you win your fight, you'll be up to fight at the finals." – Said Anko, explaining the orders, while waiting for doubts or any information regarding their opponents.

"Anko-sensei, what could you tell us about our opponents?" – Asked Tenten, although Naruto and Neji looked at their sensei, also curious about their opponents. "Well, Naruto's opponent, from what I heard the jounin saying, wants to be a fuuton specialist. He has considerable chakra reserves. I do not know about his other abilities, but since he wants to become a ninjutsu specialist, there is a good chance that he could be mid to long range fighter. Neji's opponent uses C ranked raiton techniques together with taijutsu, quite similar to Naruto's fighting, so you shouldn't have many problems trying to figure out how to counterattack. Tenten, your guy came from Iwa, but he is considered to be a taijutsu specialist, so close range." – Said Anko, seeing nods of appreciation from her genins.

"Okay, Team 5. Just a piece of advice to all of you. You guys have potential to become chunnins, however sometimes potential don't mean anything if the opponent somehow manages to land a substantial hit, disabling your best abilities. Remember a chunnin not only has to be powerful, but also have analytical abilities. Don't jump head on against the enemy without a strategy. And remember that if I see that you guys lost because of stupidity, I'll be summoning so much snakes in order to chase you, I doubt any of you would be walking any time soon. Well, good luck team, ja ne." – Said Anko, before disappearing without even seeing the look of despair from her genins, simply because they knew she wasn't kidding with the threat.

A while later, all the genin stood at the center of the arena awaiting for the Yondaime Hokage to address the fighters as well as the audience composed of daimyos, shinobis from other villages as well as from Konoha. From Konoha, were all the recently graduated genin which in the future would become the Konoha nine and some jounins namely Aoba, Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, Anko and others.

Meanwhile, Naruto was looking through the audience, looking for traces of Yuugao either as a Cat masked Anbu or herself, but sadly to no avail. Deep inside he wanted her to be here and it saddened him to see that either she was on a mission or chose not to come, but he shrugged the last alternative, since Yuugao would be here if she was able to. Deciding to present her with his chunnin vest, Naruto vowed to impress the judges, therefore earning the position of chunnin. Looking up, he saw his father seated with Kakashi standing next to him as well as the raikage and kazekage.

Minato for his part was watching the crowd as they were seating amongst the audience. When he saw that the gates were closed, Minato rose from his seat and began his announcement. "Welcome ladies and gentleman to the third phase of the chunnin exams. As you may or may not know, the genins that stand before you will perform all out fights against each other in hopes to be promoted to the rank of chunnin; now without further a due, let the tournament begin" – Said Minato before the crowd clapped and cheered for the contestants.

Genma being the proctor for the third part of the chunnin exams turned to speak. "Okay, let's begin. Now everyone except Satori Kato and Kaguya Yazo, please go to that booth. The chunnin exams will begin." – Said Genma to which the rest of the genins went to the waiting booth in order to see the fight. After they arrived, Naruto and Neji were watching the member of the Kaguya clan with interest. Their kekkei genkai were amongst the most dangerous ones, using their bones as weapons.

After Genma ushered the start of the match, the competitors vanished in thin air and clashed at the center of the arena, exchanging taijutsu attacks. The kumo genin was having trouble trying to land substantial hit on the Kaguya, but because of his kekkei genkai, Yazo wasn't feeling any pain from the blows. After a while, Yazo landed a kick at Kato, sending him flying and started making hand seals. "**Suiton Daibafuku no Jutsu (**Water Style: Grand Waterfall Jutsu)" – Said the Kaguya member and instantly a huge torrent of water was sent towards the opponent, giving him no alternative other than doing a kawarimi and get out of the way. Instantly, as he appeared to the right of Yazo, Kato started his seals before mentally saying the name of his technique. "**Raiton Hekireki Hoippu **(Lightning Style: Thunder Whip Jutsu)".

Seeing the thunder whip coming his way, Yazo was surprised to see the speed of the attack. Quickly, he pulled a sword from his arm made of bone and placed it in front of the attack, blocking the first of the multiple attacks. Kato after seeing the attack being blocked, ushered to follow an attack combo, attacking in succession, giving Yazo no alternative rather than defend himself. For a moment, Kato was winning the battle, since Yazo didn't do anything other than defend himself. Out of the blue, Yazo increased the thrust of his bone sword, disrupting the thunder whip and attacking Kato with his kekkai genkai attack called **Tenshi Sendan (**bone finger bullet). With that, Yazo fired five bone bullets, hitting Kato's arms, legs and his stomach, rendering him unconscious. "Winner Kaguya Yazo" – Said Genma before the crowd exploded with cheers for the Kaguya clan member's victory.

Naruto for his part was amazed by the abilities shown and hoped to fight the Kaguya member. Neji smiled seeing that his jyuuken could be able to penetrate the Kaguya's defense, seeing that his family taijutsu attacked the enemy's tenketsus instead of the body. Meanwhile, Minato was talking to the mizukage, asking about the loss of the kaguya clan to which the mizukage responded by saying that Yazo was among the only two survivors of the clan with another Kaguya Kimimaro but he was declared a missing-nin last year.

"Now, next match. Will Namikaze Naruto and Takashido Oroi approach the arena." – Said Genma before seeing the said names coming down from the bench. Genma remembered Naruto for his mission with his team a long time ago and if Naruto was tough back then, now Genma could expect anything coming from the blonde Namikaze. Also Kurenai, Asuma, Aoba and Anko were thrilled to see the blonde in action. Anko, Kurenai and Asuma already knew the kid's potential from previous spars against him, but Aoba only saw him twice and didn't know how much stronger he got since last time.

Minato for his part was smiling upon seeing his son walk calmly towards the center of the arena as if he was confident of his abilities. _Now, it's your chance Naruto-kun. Show all these people what you're made of. I'm proud of you my son. You worked really hard to be where you are now, do your best. _"I would suggest that your son watch his back, Hokage-dono, Oroi is very talented with fuuton ninjutsu" – Said Kazekage before seeing a wide smile from Minato making him shiver inside from seeing the very same smile that happened to win the Iwa-Konoha war. "Do not worry about Naruto, Kazekage-dono. It's your genin, I'm worried about." – Said Minato, making Kazekage wonder if the boy knew his father's techniques. After seeing the discussion, the raikage add his voice on the conversation. "Your son does look confident Hokage-dono. This match will be interesting."

Back with Naruto, he was studying his opponent before Genma usher them to fight. _Ok, he is a fuuton user, so if I were to use fuuton, I'll be just wasting chakra. Therefore fuuton is out of the question. Raiton it is then. However, I have to see how good he is before I choose the attack. _Thought Naruto before Genma shouted the beginning of the match. After that, both fighters eyed each other. Oroi didn't want to attack first, since he knew Naruto was the Hokage's son, so attacking head on would only prove stupid to do so. Out of the blue, Naruto made a cross hand seal and three kage bunshins appeared. "Scatter" – Said Naruto, before the clones sunshined within a little tornado and disappeared. Oroi was wondering why he would revert to waist chakra without even knowing about his abilities, but little did he know that the clones appeared on each corner of the stadium, therefore making all Narutos face the opponent from a different angle. Oroi continued to study Naruto's face reactions, a little stunned to see that he was smiling. Out of the blue, three kunais pierced Oroi's body, making him fall not only from panic since he didn't know how Naruto did, but also because of the impact. Seeing the momentum, Naruto charged towards the opponent, while doing hand seals before landing his hands on the opponent's chest, saying **Raiton Daigeki Mahi **(Lightning Style: Shock Paralysis Jutsu). With that, Naruto sent a wave of lightning chakra through his body, paralyzing him completely.

"Winner, Namikaze Naruto." – Screamed Genma. The crowd was dead silent, wondering what the hell happened since the suna genin didn't do anything. But the ones, who knew, rose and clapped in recognition of Naruto's tactics. The recently graduated genins were still wondering what happened as well, but Iruka explained to them. "Iruka-sensei, I didn't see anything. My brother said that this Naruto is very capable, but I didn't see anything." – Said Sasuke to which Iruka smiled in recognition of Naruto's tactics and turned to explain. "It's very simple yet effective. While the opponent thought that the kage bunshins simply disappeared, actually they used shunshin to appear at certain positions around Oroi, trapping him without his knowledge. While from a distance, the clones threw the kunais, hitting the target and when Naruto saw the opening, he used that raiton technique of his to paralyze the opponent, therefore winning the match." – Said Iruka, explaining to the young genins.

"What a pussy, revert to deceive the enemy." – Said one of the genin with a puppy on top of his head by the name of Inuzuka Kiba. "Kiba, using brute force isn't always the best strategy to win a fight. Also deception can be the best weapon a shinobi has in order to win a fight. This is a tournament, Kiba. Naruto will have to fight again, so he can't be wasting chakra where there is no need for it." – Said Iruka, scowling the hyperactive member of the Inuzuka clan.

Meanwhile the jounins were clapping at the display. Asuma as well as Kurenai applauded at the boy's tactics, while Anko smiled upon seeing Naruto avoiding unnecessary use of chakra while taking care of the enemy. Gai, however, were screaming about youthfulness and how Naruto were just like Minato. Speaking of the Hokage, said person smiled at seeing how easily Naruto dispatched the enemy without showing any of his attacks while the kazekage and the raikage were staring at the little blonde, observing him. The kazekage was pissed upon seeing Suna's best genin being defeated so easily while the raikage smiled upon seeing the blonde's jutsu. "Hokage-dono, it seems your son prefers my village's ninjutsus, rather than yours." – Said the raikage, chuckling a little, being accompanied by Minato who nodded at the raikage's assessment. "Yeah, well not entirely true; but you'll see what I'm talking about in a while"

* * *

**--With Naruto--**

While walking towards the booth, Naruto was taken aback when a shuriken landed a little further from his next step with a note. Smiling broadly from seeing the same thing happening two weeks ago, Naruto picked the note and turned to read.

_Nice fighting Naruto-kun; a__lthough I hope to see more of your abilities later on. _

_Love Yuugao._

_PS: Look above you. _

After reading, Naruto stopped and turned looking up, only to see two Anbus standing on top of the stadium. One with the cat mask (Yuugao) and another with the dog mask (Kakashi). The dog masked Anbu sent thumbs up while the cat masked Anbu took off her mask in order to smile at the blonde and then returned it in place. Naruto nodded in return and kept walking back towards the booth. Up on the stands, people were wondering what Naruto was looking at, since the Anbus were on top of their heads, well except two people. Anko and Kurenai already knew Naruto's smile when he saw Yuugao, so they didn't need confirmation. Naruto always displayed that smile when near Yuugao and today was no different and to both girls, both Yuugao and Naruto were extremely lucky to have found one another. "Anko-chan, they are a perfect match, aren't they?" – Asked Kurenai to which Anko nodded, showing vehemently that she knew it from the start. "Yep there are. I've told her from the beginning. Now, look at Naruto's smile, it's quite obvious what each feel for the other" – Said Anko.

While people in general were talking about the fights so far, they heard Genma shouting to Hyuuga Neji and Takaito Shita to approach the center of the arena. Neji, after hearing this, was just like Naruto. Walking casually, Neji passed next to Naruto and just eyed him for a moment with Naruto doing the same to Neji. While staring at each other, both of them were smiling. "Neji, I want to fight against you with everything you've got. Finish this quickly and save chakra. I want to see how well you've improved." – Said Naruto to which Neji smiled accepting the challenge. "It's a challenge Naruto. I'll seal some tenketsus and this guy will be gone before he knows what happened." – Said Neji.

"Do this; I want to look at the Raikage's face when he sees you beating his genin." – Said Naruto before turning around and heading to the booth while Neji smiled once again in recognition and turned to the arena. As he arrived, his opponent was already there and Neji could see the guy's anticipation, which only confirmed Anko-sensei's suspicions. Neji knew that this guy must be Kumo's hope of getting the byakugan or even beating it, showing to the world that the Hyuuga doujutsu is not unbeatable. He stopped facing his opponent and waited for Genma to shout the beginning of the match. "Begin" – Shouted Genma to which Neji smirked, activating his byakugan. "Gladly. I don't know you and I as hell not even bothering know your real name. All I'm saying is this. You're in range of my divination. **Hakke Rokujuuyonshou** (Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand)". With that, Neji charged the opponent and a few seconds later, 64 of the guy's tenketsus were sealed, rendering him unconscious.

After the result, Naruto grinned upon seeing the angered face displayed by the raikage. Naruto and Neji had already displayed hate at Kumo and Iwa, having already disposed of some shinobis from these villages. When Neji arrived near Naruto, Naruto grinned once again. "Good one, Neji. The raikage was pretty pissed about it." – Said Naruto before seeing Neji smile at him and Tenten sigh a little bit. "Man, sometimes I don't understand either of you. Keep pushing such people and you guys will be in trouble." – Said Tenten, making both of them to look at her like they didn't know what she was talking about. "Did you say something, Tenten?" – Asked Neji, earning laughs from Naruto and Tenten to smack her forehead protector. "Forget it".

* * *

**--With Anko and the other jounins--**

After Neji's quick victory, all the jounins except Anko were at loss of words right now. First Naruto, now Neji. "Anko-chan, I thought that only Naruto was strong, but Neji finished his fight in record time." – Said Kurenai to which Anko laughed a little bit in recognition of her team's efforts. "Don't worry Kurenai-chan, Neji and Naruto didn't even sweat yet. Also, I believe Neji finished the fight quickly only to piss the raikage off. He and Naruto vowed to piss off both Iwa and Kumo, so I believe they planned to be like this all along. I swear one day, those two will be cause of war against said villages." – Said Anko although still smiling to which Asuma entered the conversation. "Neji is a genius from the Hyuuga clan and Naruto is talented on his own right. Quite a team you got that, Anko-san. I'm eager to see what Tenten is made of".

"While no one genin or chunnin could compare with Naruto in terms of ninjutsu or Neji in terms of taijutsu, Tenten is proficient with weapons and katon ninjutsu." – Said Anko to which Asuma nodded, while eager to take a team of his own after the end of the chunnin exams.

* * *

**--At the arena--**

"Now, will Satoshi Yahiko and Hoshikage Kira approach the arena" – Shouted Genma addressing for the forth fight before seeing the two genins get down from the booth and approach the center of the arena. Amongst the crowd, people were whispering about the kiri genin's name as similar to Hoshikage Kisame's who in turn became missing-nin some time ago, making Kira flinch. She was pissed at her uncle Kisame from attempting an attack at the Water Daimyou, therefore tainting the Hoshikage clan. Nevertheless, Kira vowed to become stronger and becoming chunnin was her next obstacle. Well that and proving to the world that the Hoshikage clan. As she arrived at the center, she eyed her opponent. From what she knew about the guy, she knew that Yahiko was somewhere proficient with doton jutsu, however she didn't know about the guy's genjutsu and taijutsu or even other ninja arts. "Fighters, begin" – Said Genma before seeing Kira did some hand seals, saying **Suiton Mizu Kiken (**Water Style: Water Atmosphere Jutsu).

After that, blue particles started floating near the center of the arena making Yahiko tremble in fear from the implications of such jutsu. Meanwhile, all the suiton users present at the arena were trying to hold their jaws from falling. Such a jutsu, even though low level and supplementary, could overcome the biggest weakness of suiton jutsus which tend to rely on water to use. Yuugao for her part was trying to hold herself from dropping to the arena and ask the genin to teach her such jutsu. Back to the fight, Kira started doing a high sequence of hand seals and suddenly a huge water dragon appeared and charged Yahiko who in turn made kawarimi with a mud clone and appeared within some distance from Kira. Quickly taking a bunch of shuriken and kunai, Yahiko threw the barrage of projectiles at Kira who made two mizu bunshins in order to assist her in taking care of the projectiles and then adding a few of her own together with an exploding tag. Upon closure, Yahiko cursed the attack while charging chakra through his feet in order to get out of the way of the explosion. After dodging, Yahiko was trapped by six mizu bunshins. Seeing no other alternative, Yahiko ran through hand seals then slamming his hands on the ground. **Doton Jishin **(Earth Style: Earthquake jutsu). With that, the bunshins lost their balance, giving Yahiko the opportunity to take care of all of them by slashing them with kunai.

Seeing her plan frustrated, Kira proceeded to do more hand seals and this time, focusing more chakra and screaming with all her lungs, sending her last attack. "**Suiton Shuishouha **(Water Style: Wave Collision Destruction Jutsu). After that, a huge wave went towards the opponent who quickly did his hand signs for the technique called **Doton Dochuu Eigyo (**Earth Style: Underground Fish Projection Jutsu) and sank below the ground, swiftly escaping the tidal wave that threatened to cause quite a lot of damage to him. After seeing Yahiko appear from the ground, Kira cursed herself from using so much chakra and had no choice other than forfeit the match. "Proctor, I forfeit. I'm very low on chakra" – Said Kira, receiving a nod from Genma who gave the victory to Yahiko.

As Kira was being attended by the medic-nins, the crowd cheered at her up to the point of hearing claps coming from the crowd and from the booth. Upon looking further, Kira noticed that the Hokage's son was the one clapping at her. Naruto for his part was amazed by her display of suiton ninjutsu as well as quick thinking. However, while Kira was good, Naruto had no doubts about that Yuugao's abilities in reference to suiton ninjutsu and also her fighting abilities. According to Naruto, using only ninjutsu was just a waist of chakra; however Kira had the background of good kenjutsu users so it was only natural that she would learn it eventually.

Next was Tenten's fight and she would be fighting another Iwa genin as well. Since she was a part of team 5, Iwa had a bit of a quarry with them. Every once in a while, Team 5 ended up ruining some of Iwa's missions from time to time. And now she would fight against one of Iwa's genin, but this time she would be alone against him and that thought scared her a little bit. Tenten remembered Anko talking to her about it.

**Flashback on**

_After team 5's mission near Iwa border, Anko and her genins were coming back to Konoha carrying some wounds and even a couple of deep cuts. Their mission was to protect a farmer from attack from bandits. It turned out that said bandits hired an iwa chunnin team to help them to attack the farmer. In the end, __Anko managed to take care of the tougher ones while Naruto and Neji managed to take care of two of the teams with help from Tenten's kunais and shurikens. When they arrived at Konoha from what turned out to be a B ranked mission instead of a C ranked, Naruto and Neji went to the hospital, while Anko and Tenten went towards the Hokage's office in order to deliver the report. On the way, Anko turned to talk to Tenten. "Tenten, I want to talk to you regarding the last mission" – Said Anko, making Tenten look at her, wondering about what Anko would want to talk about. "What's about Anko-sensei?" – Asked Tenten._

"_I noticed that when the last chunnin attacked us, __you were frightened, weren't you? If Neji wasn't quick enough to make the earth wall, there would be some serious injury. What happened?" – Asked Anko before seeing Tenten look to the ground in shame. Truthfully, she was beating herself up about this since the trip home started. "I….thought I was going to die, Anko-sensei. When the enemy moved to attack me, I was defenseless, I was unprepared. I…I just stood there waiting for the death blow" – Said Tenten now on the verge of tears. _

"_Tenten, look at me right now. Mistakes can't afford to happen while on missions, that's why we train close to exhaustion. As a kunoichi, you have to be alert all the time. It's not always you'll have someone to cover for you. I thought we got that covered because of my snake summoning training." – Said Anko before seeing a negative response from Tenten. "I thought I got it covered, but you never attacked with killing intent. This time was my first death escape, I'm different from Naruto and Neji. Those guys escaped death constantly because of Iwa and Kumo." – Mumbled Tenten from trying to compare herself from her teammates to which Anko responded with a slap at her face. "Pull yourself together, girl. What, __it wouldn't do any good to wallow in self pity now. What's done it's done. Now, we need to up your awareness training. Come on, you're on Anko's team." – Screamed Anko, cheering Tenten up a little bit, who whipped her tears and nodded while smiling._

**Flashback off**

"Will Tenten and Higurashi Akira approach the center of the arena." – Shouted Genma, earning Tenten's attention as well as her teammates who also remembered Anko telling them about what happened. "Tenten, keep your eyes open for sneak attacks and be always aware. You'll be great." – Said Neji to which Tenten smiled and Naruto showed her thumbs up. "Just another one to crush, Tenten; show them what you're made of" – Said Naruto also receiving a nod from Tenten. _I can do this, my team believes in me, my sensei believes in me – _Thought Tenten as she looked up and saw Anko looking at her as well.

Up the stand, Anko was looking at her genin slightly worried, but also hopeful. _You can do this Tenten, makes us proud._

Back to the center of the arena, Tenten was at a specific distance in reference to her adversary, being it not so close and yet no so far either. Meanwhile, Akira was taunting her with gestures and small talk, but to no avail. Tenten was confident and therefore any taunting at her part wouldn't change anything. Waiting for Genma's authorization, Tenten was already reaching for four shurikens to throw at the guy as soon as the possible. When Genma shouted, Tenten didn't waste any time and threw the shurikens against the guy as well as making hand seals. "**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **(Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu); with that the four shurikens turned to forty and Akira jumped to the side, as to avoid the torrents of shurikens which hit the ground.

After that, Akira charged Tenten while already preparing for a taijutsu match. Quickly arriving, Akira started with the punching assault, leaving Tenten no other option than to block and dodge. After a while, Tenten managed to saw Akira's skills with taijutsu and concluded that a little evasion technique was in order. Not even bothering for hand seals, since she had to block the punches, Tenten wanted for Akira to throw the last punch, before substituting herself with a tree log and appearing within quite a distance from the opponent.

Using the distance, Tenten went through hand seals and gathered air through her lungs. Upon exhaling, Tenten made a huge fireball that charged towards Akira who slapped his hands on the ground and screamed **Doton Doryuheki **(Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu), blocking the incoming fire ball and then dissipating the wall wearing an arrogant grin on his face. "If I were you, I wouldn't smile like that" – Said Tenten to which Akira smiled, threatening her to tell him why. "Oh and why is that girlie?" – Asked Akira, taunting her, not even realizing the great mistake he made of calling her by that specific name.

Up on the stands, Naruto and Neji flinched at Tenten's sudden killing intent. They remembered what happened to the last one who called her that, since they had to send the guy to the hospital after he challenged Tenten to a 'friendly' spar. "Neji, do you think she's going to kill him?" – Asked Naruto, not even surprised if Tenten even get to kill the guy. "Hard to say, although you do remember what kept her from killing the last one who called her that, don't you?" – Said Neji to which Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I do. Us"

Meanwhile up with the jounins, Anko now felt sympathy for Akira. "With all the words that guy could've said, he had to call her that" – Said Anko, earning Kurenai's attention. "What are you talking about?" – Asked Kurenai to which Anko chose to elaborate. "Tenten hate people who treat women like they were weaker than man. One time, one Konoha genin challenged her to a spar and Tenten refused. After he taunted her calling her 'girlie', Tenten lost her mind and kicked the shit out of the boy. After that, Tenten tried to cook the bastard by sending a fireball towards him. Thanks to Naruto and Neji, Tenten wasn't charged with murder. Neji made an earth wall and Naruto used shunshin to get the boy out of harm's way. According to Naruto, they had to take the guy to the hospital from serious injures" – Said Anko.

"Quite a firecracker, you got there Anko-san" – Said Asuma, still looking at the weapon user to which Kurenai and Anko scowled at him. "You'd do well not do go there, Asuma. Every kunoichi I know hates being treated like that. Tenten just happens to express herself like that." – Said Kurenai making Asuma flinch at the insinuation. He knew how Anko, Kurenai and Yuugao behaved after hearing such comments and he knew better than to provoke any of them. It was right there that Asuma felt sympathy from Naruto who happen to hang around with all three of them.

Back at the fight, Tenten was seeing red right now. No one called her that and got away with it. She concluded that a little lesson was in place. Even though she didn't master her next jutsu, she would do well to teach this Akira a lesson. Not giving the guy any time to regret his choice of words, Tenten went quickly through a series of hand seals, while gathering huge amounts of air inside her lungs. Once she exhaled (**Katon Karyuu Endan – **Fire Stile Flame Missile Jutsu), a missile of white flame charged towards Akira whose only action possible was to stop smiling and become scared of the incoming lava missile which happened to hit him dead on, burning the guy heavily. "Winner Tenten" – Shouted Genma before ushering the medics to attend to Akira's burnings ASAP, because of Tenten's attack.

After the medics carried Akira away, Genma proceeded to speak. "The first round has ended. We'll take a break of half an hour for the remaining fighters to rest and then we'll proceed with the second round".


	11. Chunnin tournament pt2

**Chapter 11 – Chunnin ****Tournament pt.2**

While the waiting time was up, Naruto and Neji were talking about the first round and what they expected on the second round. Tenten for her part was slowly gaining her breath after using such a powerful jutsu while going berserk after the guy from what he told of her. She knew that the man deserved all right, but she also knew she let her emotions get the best of her and that would cost her when she was to be evaluated from her performance at the exam. Out of a sudden, words of wisdom appeared inside her memory and Anko-sensei's voice was like a slap on the face, from letting the enemy get to her as easily as that.

Upon looking around, she noticed her two other teammates talking about something and sighed, slightly worried since both of them showed chunnin type abilities. Naruto on his fight, had devised an effective strategy with his shadow clones and a C-rank raiton technique just to paralyze his opponent. Neji won his fight with one sweet and fast attack (well, more like 64 instead of one, but one taijutsu attack nonetheless). Tenten, surprisingly enough, was the complete opposite of the boys. While they were calm and collected, managing to beat their opponent with strategy and speed, she let the guy take advantage of her anger and made her lash out her most prized katon jutsu, therefore costing her up to 80% of her chakra.

Quietly thanking Kami from already advancing to the final round because of uneven numbers of chunnin hopefuls this year. Because of that, she could focus on recovering some of her chakra and just watch as the fights continued until she had to fight the winner of the next round. One thing she was certain, though. No matter who would advance to fight her, she wouldn't be able to win or even force to a draw, since all four of them were stronger than her. Looking down, her pride slipped a little bit and the thought of maybe both of respective fights end it in a draw and she wouldn't need to find anyone. But then again, she wasn't a part of the famous Team 5 that happened to break into Kumo and Iwa camps ever now and then.

Team 5 was the pride of Konoha right now; being complimented by their sensei constantly on their training and being praised by nothing less than the hokage, congratulating them after a successful mission. She was so focused, though, that she didn't even hear Genma shout the end of the break and call Namikaze Naruto and Kaguya Yazo to approach the center of the arena. Towards the center of the arena, Naruto was thinking of what he and Neji discussed about their respective matches. Although Naruto joked that if he and Neji switched places, it would be easier for both of them; he secretly wished to fight the Kaguya member. He knew that Yazo was holding back on his first fight; however Naruto was confident about the fact that he held his back as well on his fight.

From what he saw of Yazo's fighting skills, he concluded that although Yazo knows some of his clan's techniques, he tend to use suiton ninjutsu as well to which unfortunately Naruto didn't have one single advantage over the man. That's why he joked with Neji, since Neji was not only almost a master on the jyuuken, but also a doton user who has an elemental advantage towards suiton. Nonetheless, if Naruto played his cards right, he can use the water to his advantage with some raiton jutsu, since water tends to conduct electricity, therefore, enhancing the blow.

After both of them stopped staring at each other, Naruto was focused on his opponent and Yazo for his part was smiling in recognition to whom was standing in front of him, which caused Naruto to wonder why the sudden change of humor at the man's normally stoic face. "May I ask why you're smiling, Yazo-san?" – Asked Naruto, though his muscles were already twitching in future anger, since that smile on his opponent's face was very familiar to him. "I'm smiling because I'm about to fight the Yondaime Hokage's Legacy. By beating his son, I'll prove to everyone that the Kaguya clan are truly worthy of respect" – Said Yazo, smiling once again, to which this time things were different for Naruto.

* * *

**---Up on the stands---**

After the Kaguya's challenge on Naruto, Anko bit her lip in annoyance from what the guy said to her student. She was downside furious at the Kaguya clan and didn't make any efforts to control her anger at the moment, to which some of the presents noticed and were quite worried about seeing Anko becoming angry about something. "Anko-san, what's the matter? Are you okay?" – Asked Asuma, mirroring Kurenai's concerns since she wanted to ask that too. "That bone fucker just said the worst thing he could ever say to Naruto." – Muttered Anko, now making Asuma and Kurenai even more worried. "Why would you say that? Isn't Naruto, Yondaime's son, what's the problem about it?" – Asked Kurenai clueless of what the blonde must be thinking right now to which Anko stood there not giving the answer for a while.

"Kurenai-chan, since Naruto graduated as a genin, the only acknowledgement he'd ever gotten aside from his parents, was because he is the Yondaime's son….No matter what he did or how he did it, people always would say that he was strong just because of his father being the Hokage. However, Naruto works up to exhaustion every day in order to eventually step away from his father's shadow and start making his own reputation." – Said Anko to which Kurenai understood. Asuma for his part was remembering how it was to step off the Sandaime Hokage's shadow and he understood more than anyone what the kid must be thinking right now. "Naruto-kun is like me, then. The way he is now, was just like me and my father, the Sandaime Hokage….It was especially hard to gain recognition for something you did simply because of who are your parents." – Said Asuma to which Anko nodded and turned to say.

"There was this one time when Naruto was victorious against two iwa-high level genins, crippling them for life with his twin knifes. When Naruto approached one of the two beaten up with blood running freely, he managed to muster his last words. The man had the audacity of cursing the man to whom he thought was responsible for his death and therefore he cursed Yondaime in front of Naruto, in terms of saying that it was the Yondaime that killed him…_not _Naruto. I swear, when I saw the kid's eyes, I almost shitted my pants. He was devoted of emotion, but his muscles were tightening uncontrollably, demonstrating his rage. He ended up living them to die and walked away but I knew he was feeling like shit because of the man" – Said Anko before seeing Asuma and Kurenai's interest at the story.

Needless to say the Kaguya clan member was in serious trouble.

* * *

**---A****t the Hokage's booth---**

To say that Minato was angry it would be an understatement. He was furious at what the Kaguya said to his son. He knew more than anyone how much his son despised being compared with his father and the thought of someone wanting to fight Naruto simply because he was the Yondaime's son was truly despicable. However, Naruto had to realize that these things do happen and he had to hold his own against them. Naruto made him swear that he would be judged just like anybody else and it wouldn't be fair for him. Back at the time, Minato turned to look at his son's eyes and was thrilled to see the genin's determination to become a chunnin no matter what. Therefore, it was safe to say that Minato was even more proud of his son than before. _Naruto-kun, you can't let your emotions get the best of you in times like this. Being a chunnin, means you'll be sometimes the team captain, therefore a leader controlled by emotions will get your platoon killed. Overcome this, my son and beat the crap of this Kaguya guy'_ – Thought Minato as he watched his son looking fiercely at the Kaguya member.

* * *

**---With Naruto---**

Naruto for his part, was furious at the man that compared him with his father. "You'd do best not to compare me with the Yondaime Hokage. Our styles are totally different and I have my own techniques. So when this fight is over, you won't have fought against the Yondaime's Legacy, cause that isn't my name, nor I'll ever be known for. My name is Namikaze Naruto and I'll be the one who defeated the last of the Kaguya clan." – Said Naruto looking with determination at Yazo, earning the smiles of every one present as well as Genma who happen to look at the blonde genin and remember that same look six years ago. _Naruto, show me your abilities. Show me that you are chunnin material. Beat the hell of this guy.' _– Thought Genma as he authorized the beginning of the match.

Seconds after the authorization, Yazo sent his bone finger bullets at Naruto who dodged and threw two kunais with exploding tags to which Yazo smiled, but when he was about to escape the future blast, he was taken aback by the sudden explosion that engulfed him as a result. Little did he know of course that Naruto knew a thing or two about seals and also happens to knows how to control the seal's timing. The result sent Yazo flying towards the nearby wall, having to focus on his kekkai genkai so not to break any bones and absorb the impact a little bit.

To say that Yazo was pissed was an understatement. He was downright furious at his supposedly lack of ability to lose to an exploding tag, however he knew better than to think that was a simple attack. _He used chakra to activate the seal before time and caught me by surprise, clever. _After that, Yazo got up from the hole in the wall unscathed and charged Naruto now with a sword made from his bones. Naruto for his part, knowing that Yazo's weapon would be almost unstoppable, reached his twin knifes and channeled fuuton chakra, but a little bit more than he would, so to defend against the attack. When Yazo attacked, Naruto lifted both his knifes up and caught the sword. Quickly, Yazo used the momentum and continued the attack with a horizontal slash which managed to cut Naruto's arm.

Quickly jumping away, Naruto made some hand seals and whispered calmly "**Raiton Kusari Raikou **(Lightning Style: Lightning Chain Jutsu). Suddenly, a dark cloud appeared engulfing the stadium and started shooting a series of lightning at Yazo who had no other choice than dodge and evade the attack. However, he was caught by surprise when another Naruto emerged from behind Yazo and slashed his chest with his fuuton charged knife. Because of this, the last lightning ended up hitting Yazo and he screamed in agony. The normal body Is composed by 70% of water, however Yazo's body composition made it up to 80%, hence the effect of the attack was higher than expected.

Naruto, not even bothering to wait for Yazo to recover, made another series of hand seals this time for **Raiton Raikou Dageki **(Lightning Style: Lightning Strike Jutsu)**. **This time, focusing raiton chakra through his feet, everyone was amazed when his feet began to sparkle with electricity. When he was done charging, he sprinted towards the still convulsing Yazo and attack with a raiton powered roundhouse kick at the man's chest, making the Kaguya member scream even more in pain and fall on the ground unconscious.

To say that most of the people watching were impressed, it was an understatement. Everyone except for the few who knew this attack, had their jaws on the ground since not only they didn't even heard of this attack but also were surprised to see the damage of the attack. When the medics arrived, they were astounded to see that the attack not only damaged Yazo's inner organs but also managed to send raiton chakra inside the man, paralyzing him in an instant. "Don't worry about it, I hit one of his pressure points, hence why he is in such a state. He'll get up eventually" – Said Naruto to which the medics nodded and Genma pointed Naruto's victory with a smile on his face. Although he wondered why Naruto didn't use fuuton attacks, since he knew of Naruto's two affinities from Yuugao, he figured that the blonde must be saving his best for last.

* * *

**---On the audience---**

After Naruto's victory, the jounin part of the audience that happen to use that attack wondered how Naruto was able to do it, since they all thought that the Yondaime was the creator. Anko couldn't miss this opportunity to gloat about her student and immediately answered the other's questions. "That technique was his creation, not the Yondaime's. Naruto has the ability of channeling raiton chakra to any point of his body, therefore using it for both offensive and defensive issues." – Said Anko with a smile on her face that showed everyone her real intentions. Kurenai for her part, was smiling upon seeing the person who until two years ago, never even dreamed of taking a genin team, now gloating about Naruto's abilities.

Meanwhile with the recently graduated genins, everyone was amazed by the display of power. Sasuke was furious upon seeing that the man was more powerful than him, an elite Uchiha. _Itachi was right, this Naruto is indeed powerful, but when I activate my sharingan, I'll be able to copy his jutsus and use it against him. – _Thought Sasuke as he kept smiling deviously. Kiba for his part chose not to say anything bad about the blonde anymore from fear that the blonde could fry Kiba with an raiton jutsu. Kiba knew from his family's histories, how Kumo jounins used such attacks and ended up taking a lot of Inuzukas.

Shikamaru smiled at Naruto's display, although he didn't voice an opinion, simply because it would very troublesome thing to do. Doesn't mean he wasn't thrilled to see Naruto's jutsus though. Although he found out about his doton affinity back in the academy, he wished he could use raiton attacks. Now that he saw Naruto doing it, he wanted even more to learn about raiton jutsus.

* * *

**---Up on the Hokage's booth---**

Upon seeing Naruto delivering the final blow, Minato smiled at his son from being able to overcome his enemy's taunting and managed to beat a member of the Kaguya clan in a clean fight. "Quite impressive your son Hokage-dono. I've never seen that last jutsu, what is it?" – Asked the Raikage to which Minato smiled, seeing the man's intention of trying to learn the jutsu to use against a Konoha-nin on a later date. "That jutsu is called **Raiton Raikou Dageki **(Lightning Style**: **Lightning Strike Jutsu), however I'll refrain from telling you more since It's a Konoha's jutsu." – Said Minato to which the Raikage scowled the man from such secrecy. "The raiton element is our village's pride Hokage-dono, while yours in katon." – Said the Raikage to which Minato just smiled and replied. "Doesn't mean I have to share with you my son's jutsu, though" – Said Minato to which the Raikage turned to think of a possible negotiation.

"How about a trade then?" – Asked the Raikage, making Minato think about it. In one hand, he could add a couple of B ranked raiton jutsus to Konoha in exchange for Naruto's A ranked jutsu. However, he knew his son wouldn't appreciate that his jutsu would be exchanged simply like that. In fact, he already knew what his son would say as a counter-argument. _But Tou-san, would you exchange the rasengan or the hiraishin in exchange for doton jutsus?_

Minato as hell took a lot of time to create those jutsus and see it being exchanged like that, he could understand Naruto's refusal. "Thanks, but no thanks, Raikage-dono. That jutsu was created by my son and it's the pride of Konoha. Trading it would be like treason against Konoha, therefore no deal." – Said the Yondaime to which the Raikage sighed in defeat from such a technique.

* * *

**---At the genin's waiting booth---**

Neji and Tenten smiled at Naruto's fight. Both of them knew that he would win. As he got up the stairs, Naruto stood next to his teammates and smiled towards Neji. "Your turn now Neji and we'll see each other at the semi-finals." – Said Naruto while being attended by a medic-nin who appeared to fix the damage from Yazo's attack. Neji for his part smiled and nodded towards the blonde. "This time I'll win Naruto. Just hold on and I'll take you when the time comes." – Said Neji before he started moving towards the stairs in order to reach the center of the arena.

As he walked calmly, Hizashi up on the stand, smiled upon seeing his son walking calmly but no less determined about winning this fight and then battling his rival. Hizashi smiled in nostalgia upo seeing the second generation of the Hyuuga x Namikaze rivalry and just knew that his son will be the pride of Konoha, together with Naruto. _"Neji, go ahead and show the future of the Hyuuga clan. Show them that what you're made o_

_f and I'll be seeing you advance through Konoha's ranks with a smile of pride on my face._" – Thought Hizashi as he watched Neji stopping in front of the genin from Iwa who in turn was smiling at the thought of defeating a Hyuuga clan member. Hizashi somehow knew that smile and somehow made him remember of the last shinobi war which he fought alongside Minato and Kakashi. _Could it be that this guy comes from that clan? ­­_-Thought Hizashi as he remembered the only clan known at the shinobi world who managed to block the jyuuken strikes and feared that this iwa genin was one of them. Hizashi's brother looked at his brother who seemed to realize who Neji's opponent was right now.

"It seems you know Hizashi. Neji won't be able to use the jyuuken. I know your son is very good, but he had yet to face an opponent such as this one" – Said Hiashi to which Hizashi grinned deviously, earning his brother's worry since Hizashi rarely smiled at all. "Hiashi, Neji is sure to surpass us at the jyuuken surely in no time at all, however the jyukken isn't his only ability." – Said Hizashi to which Hiashi scowled at his brother from keeping such mystery.

* * *

**---With Kakashi and Yuugao---**

After seeing Naruto's magnificent display of raiton ninjutsu, Yuugao and Kakashi were smiling behind their masks. Yuugao smiled upon seeing that raiton induced roundhouse kick and imagined how Naruto managed to create such an attack. "I didn't know Naruto could channel raiton chakra so easily, Kakashi-sempai." – Said Yuugao to which Kakashi nodded. "Naruto-kun's chakra control is limited due to his immense chakra supply, but because of this, Naruto can channel fuuton and raiton chakra through every tenketsus of his body. Huh, I remember some of our Anbu peers praising the Yondaime for supposedly creating such a jutsu. Imagine their faces when sensei told them that his 10 year old son created it." – Said Kakashi, earning a giggle from Yuugao, since she stopped being surprised at the blonde's creative abilities.

"However, I'm afraid that Neji has a tough opponent up ahead. His opponent is a part of the only clan that managed to stop the jyuuken strike. I know Neji is tough but his family techniques will be useless against him" – Said Kakashi to which Yuugao smiled and turned to answer. "Neji and I share Naruto-kun's rivalry. Anko-chan told me that Neji has other abilities outside of the jyuuken strike, but she refrained from telling me what. I guess that Neji isn't limited to only the jyuuken as his family is" – Said Yuugao, earning a nod from Kakashi. "Let's see the outcome"

* * *

**---With Neji---**

As Neji arrived at the center of the arena, he was studying his opponent with the byakugan in order to understand which abilities the guy possesses. _Doton affinity, he's from Iwa, so nothing new. _After he deactivated the doujutsu, his opponent started taunting Neji. "You're a hyuuga, right. Then I've already won this fight." – Said Yahiko to which Neji scowled at the guy from already assuming his victory, but little did he know that his most prized taijutsu style would fail him miserably. "The battle did even started and yet you assume something without even knowing me." – Said Neji, after looking towards Genma who smiled and gave his authorization for the battle.

Quickly, Neji picked four shurikens and threw at Yahiko, actually surprising him a little bit, since Yahiko thought that Neji would use the jyuuken. However, he eliminated the threat by using a kunai and reflecting the shurikens. Seconds after, Yahiko charged Neji with a kunai to which Neji deflected by using his own and engage in a kunai battle. Slice after slice but no opponent managed to land a hit on the other. After Neji attacked with a horizontal slash, Yahiko dropped to the ground, speeding through the hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground. **Doton Jishin **(Earth Style: Earthquake Jutsu). Seeing the chakra being released with his byakugan, Neji jumped quickly avoiding the attack and throw a few shurikens at the opponent to which two managed to hit on Yahiko's legs, earning Neji some screaming from Yahiko who yielded in pain from the cold metal being impaled through his skin.

After Neji landed on the ground, he smiled upon seeing that the guy wasn't aware of his surroundings, dropped into his family position. "You are in my field of divination. **Hakke** **Rokujuuyonshou**(Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand)." – Said Neji before charging to an unsuspected Yahiko, slamming his first two strikes.

**Four**** Strikes…**

**Sixteen Strikes…**

**Thirty Two Strikes…**

**Sixty Four Strikes…**

After the last attack, Neji sent Yahiko flying towards the wall, however but to the surprise of everyone present, including Neji, Yahiko used the momentum, by flipping and landing on the ground with a little blood coming out of his mouth, while smiling at Neji. Neji for his part was dumbfounded at Yahiko, simply because of the fact that he just blocked one of the Hyuuga's most powerful taijutsu attacks and came out unscathed. "Surprised Neji-san? That's why I said you can't beat me in this fight. My clan has an absolute doton affinity and we're able to protect our tenketsus from your attacks. With the **Doton Kouka no Jutsu**(Earth Style: Hardening Jutsu) we can protect ourselves against any sort of attacks." – Said Yahiko to which Neji gritted his teeth in annoyance, since his family taijutsu wouldn't help him in these, well at least not the offensive ones. After looking at his opponent, he remembered his all time rival once saying that someday someone will find a defense against the Jyuuken and when the time comes, Neji would be defenseless. Neji remembered how Naruto one time convinced him to learn doton ninjutsu, just in case the jyuuken doesn't work.

**---With Naruto---**

"So, Neji finally found such an opponent, huh. Let us see what he'll do right now." – Said Naruto to which Tenten scowled at him for not believing in his teammate. "Tenten, Neji is my friend and my rival, of course I'm cheering for him, but I remembered once saying to him that he needed to learn doton ninjutsu in case such as this one. Guess he's thinking in this same line as well" – Said Naruto to which Tenten turned to study the two's relationship for a while.

Tenten knew that Naruto and Neji were close, but she never understood how deep they were. Some would consider them to be friends, other considered them to be rivals, but as time passes, only word came to mind to describe their relationship. Neji and Naruto grew up together, they fought against each other since they were strong enough to stand, they went to the academy together and now they share the same genin team. Upon realizing the truth, Tenten smiled seeing such brotherly love that both of them share for each other. While they weren't connected by blood, they were connected by spirit and will to never abandon the other behind.

"Neji-kun is lucky to have someone like you in his life, Naruto." – Said Tenten, earning Naruto's attention to which Tenten continued to speak. "My father once said that the Hyuugas, while extremely proud of their abilities, behaved like everyone had to worship them. However Neji, although reserved, turned out to be completely different from the other Hyuugas and I'm think the reason for this was you Naruto. No matter how strong the opponent is, no matter how skilled he is, Neji will regard you as his equal; his rival; his brother." – Said Tenten to which Naruto smiled and nodded at Tenten's kind words. "Neji is a genius. While other Hyuugas would lose this battle, he will analyze the opponent and then see the best attack. However, Neji will have to use his doton ninjutsu in order to win this battle or at least use his jyuuken when the enemy is unprepared, either way he'll win and we'll have our match next" – Said Naruto, earning a smile from Tenten who turned to reply. "Yes, but don't count on me cheering for you, you know." – Giggled Tenten to which Naruto smiled. "Of course not, Tenten" – Said Naruto.

**---****Back with the fight---**

Quickly returning to battle, Yahiko started making some hand seals for **Doton Doryuudan no Jutsu **(Earth Style: Earth Dragon Projectile Jutsu). With that, a mud dragon head suddenly appeared and shot mud balls at Neji who in turn, decided to use the Hyuuga's absolute defense. **Hakkeshou Kaiten **(Heavenly Spin). While Neji was spinning, the Hyuuga brothers were amazed at Neji's growth, from not only managing to use one, but two attacks from the Main Branch was nothing short of amazing and the fact that he was only twelve, made his parents even more proud of the prodigy. After Neji stopped spinning, he quickly threw a kunai to which Yahiko dodged but was enough so that Neji could attack without the man knowing. Much to the surprise of everyone present, except those who knew that he knew doton ninjutsu, Neji began making hand seals and said **Doton Tsuchi Yari **(Earth Style: Earth Spear Jutsu). Suddenly, an spear appeared from the ground and landed on Neji's hand. After that, Neji aimed and threw the spear with all his strength, giving it quite a boost of speed. Yahiko smiled since while the spear was dangerous, he thought he could dodge it with ease.

However when he was about to dodge, he heard Neji scream the word **Hanshoku **(multiply) and became terrified. Now coming after him, not one spear but four spears. Quickly trying to get away, Yahiko used his doton evasive technique, but he was far too late since the spears ended up piercing his shoulders, sending him to the stadium walls. Seeing that he was trapped at the wall, Neji charged the man with a kunai, meaning to get the final blow. Yahiko just stood there waiting for the blow which never came. When he opened his eyes, he was scared to death at the sight of Neji's kunai a few inches from his jugular, while smiling.

Neji, upon seeing the proctor telling him to stop the attack, just used it to scare his opponent. "Winner, Hyuuga Neji" – Shouted Genma, earning shouts of joy through the whole stadium. Hizashi was smiling towards his son and Hiashi wasn't pleased to see that Neji chose not to use the jyuuken to win the battle, even it was impossible to. "Hizashi, your son has just diminished our pride techniques, by reverting to use elemental ninjutsu" – Said Hiashi to which Hizashi sighed, already seeing that coming. "Neji is our family's prodigy. He knows more of our family's stances than anyone double his age. However, in order to win this battle, he knew that the jyuuken would suffice. He has shown abilities far greater than our own at his age, Hiashi. Elemental ninjutsu, while sometimes inferior to our style can sometimes be our triumph against unsuspecting enemies like the Satoshi clan" – Said Hizashi.

"You're not saying that we should learn elemental ninjutsu, Hizashi. This is absurd. Outside the Satoshi clan, no one can beat us." – Said Hiashi to which Hizashi smiled since he used to think like this a long time ago before Minato came in. "Not true. I seem to remember a annoying blonde kid always managing to beat both of us back then and I've also seen Minato's son beating Neji by using elemental ninjutsu" – Said Hizashi, making Hiashi remember getting his ass kicked by the Yondaime lots of times.

**---With Neji---**

After Neji appeared at the genin's booth, he locked eyes with Naruto for a minute and smiled. "Now it's our turn, Namikaze Naruto. Ready to lose?" – Asked Neji to which Naruto smiled and turned to reply. "We'll see about the loser part, Hyuuga Neji. I trained very hard just for this fight and I can tell you right now, it won't be easy." – Said Naruto, making Neji nod and smile once again. "Wouldn't like any other way.

After Genma ushered a ten minute rest for the semi-finals, the audience turned to get up and start chatting about the amazing fights that happened until now. Of course, they were speculations of who will be winner of the fight between Namikaze Naruto and Hyuuga Neji, seeing that both were easily the best fighters of this chunnin tournament. With the jounins, they were debating over Neji's victory and the next fight. "That's new, Anko. Teaching a Hyuuga, doton ninjutsu." – Said Asuma to which Anko smiled. "Yep, it wasn't easy though, convincing him to do it. Although Neji is different from other Hyuugas, his pride for the jyuuken is still present." – Said Anko, remembering her wondering at the time if she killed the stubborn Hyuuga, would anyone miss him.

**---10 minutes later---**

After the time was up, Naruto and Neji faced each other at the center of the arena. Both were smiling because they were hoping to face each other at the tournament. "Hey Naruto, what's the count?" – Asked Neji to which Naruto turned to think. "I believe we're even, 22 x 22. However, after this one, it will be 23 x 22 for me" – Said Naruto, earning a smile from Neji. "We'll see about that"

Genma, after seeing the boys rivalry, smiled and ushered the beginning of the battle. Not even a second passed and Neji made some hand seals for **Doton Doryuudan no Jutsu**(Earth Style: Mud Dragon Projectile Jutsu). After that, the mud dragon appeared and fired mud balls towards Naruto who was already making his own series of hand seals for the "**Fuuton Shouheki **(Wind Style: Wind Barrier Jutsu) and created two typhoons in front of him, guarding him from the attack. After the last mud ball was stopped by the shield, Naruto made some quick hand seals once again. **Fuuton Chakra Daitoppa **(Wind Style: Enhanced Breakthrough).

Because of the shouheki, the force of the gust nearly doubled, sending Neji flying towards the wall. Seeing that Neji was about to hit the wall hard, he flipped and by channeling chakra through his feet, he managed to absorb the impact and landed safely on the ground, however he scowled at his stupidity from using so much chakra for nothing. Neji forgot that Naruto had a fuuton affinity, since on missions Naruto hardly ever used it against enemies, other than channeling it through his trench knifes. Quickly picking a couple of shurikens from his weapon holster, he threw at Naruto and then made some hand seals for a jutsu he learned from Tenten. **Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **(Shuriken shadow clone).

Naruto, after seeing the incoming of which appeared to be forty shurikens, had no other choice than to revert to one of his first techniques and replaced himself with a tree log nearby. Since the log was near Neji, Naruto wasted no time and charged Neji this time focusing raiton chakra through his attacks, therefore obliging Neji to focus chakra through his arms so as to defend the attacks. When Naruto's punch was blocked by Neji's arm, lightning began to lick from where the two stands until Neji jumped in order to get away from the onslaught and use his taijutsu style but Naruto didn't stop and charge him once again with his raiton taijutsu style. Blow after blow, Naruto attacked and Neji defended.

While they're going at it, the audience was impressed by the skills in which Naruto and Neji were displaying. The jounins were impressed by them and upon looking at Anko, her satisfying grin upon being the one who trained them was quite noticeable. The academy students, however, couldn't voice their opinion, since their focus were entirely on seeing the battle and nothing else.

Back to the arena, Naruto managed to hit a solid kick at Neji's chest, however the kick wasn't filled with raiton chakra, therefore, Neji wasn't paralyzed, only was sent flying because of the kick. Utilizing the momentum, Neji flipped and landed on the ground, showing first signs of fatigue. However upon seeing Naruto, he was pissed at the boy's high chakra capacity and stamina. Naruto for his part started making some hand seals, ending with the mi (snake) seal sending waves of electricity towards Neji. **Raiton Jibashi no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Pulse Jutsu). Quickly dodging the attack, Neji focused some chakra through his palm and by trusting it forward, Neji sent an invisible wave of chakra, sending Naruto towards the nearby wall.

Being caught by surprise, Naruto managed to substitute himself with another log upon impact and turned to look at Neji. "How do you like my new attack Naruto?" – Asked Neji, already showing signs of slight exhaustion to which Naruto now slightly tired, answered. "Quite the punch, that one. What's it called?" – Asked Naruto smiling to his rival who in turn replied. "**Hakke Kuushou (**Eight Divination Signs Air Palm**)"**

"I'm really impressed Neji. Let's continue the fight, okay." – Said Naruto before charging once again at Neji this time using regular taijutsu to which Neji still managed to block even though he was tired as hell. Neji for his part, was tired and he only had chakra left for another Kaiten. Naruto was tired as well but slightly less than Neji. After they both parted ways, Naruto smiled seeing that he would get to test his all-time technique against Neji. Jumping through a quite considerable series of hand seals, Naruto extended both of his palms forward, channeling raiton chakra in order to form an lightning sphere. Up on the stands, Yuugao and Kakashi watched the technique with interest, seeing that they didn't know the blonde perfected it.

Once finishing the ball, Naruto channeled some fuuton chakra so as to create a wind field around the ball. Up at the jounin's area, Asuma smiled deeply upon seeing Naruto using the **Fuuton Suiran Reppu**which didn't get unnoticed by Anko and Kurenai. "What's the smile, Asuma?" – Asked Anko to which Asuma blew his cigarette and turned to look at the snake mistress. "That's Suna's most prized control technique taking place. By using it around the lightning ball, he can control the sphere's direction, therefore making one strong attack. Neji will have to watch out for this attack." – Said Asuma, earning an exclamation mark from both women.

Back at the arena, Naruto finished the preparation, while barely able to stand. This technique although strong, uses way too much chakra, therefore if Naruto wasn't able to beat Neji with this, he would collapse from chakra exhaustion. "Neji, you showed your technique, now let me show mine. **Raiton Ikazuchi Butoukai **(Lightning Style: Thunder Ball Jutsu)" – Said Naruto before sending the sphere towards Neji at an alarming speed. Upon seeing the impact, Neji was scared shitless of such a ball. _The energy inside is overwhelming, is this jutsu even real?" _- Thought Neji who started spinning for the heavenly spin. After the ball collided with the dome, both of them fought for dominance over the other.

After a while, Naruto, kneeling on the floor from near exhaustion, focused his last bit of chakra at the technique. The result surprised everyone when the lightning ball broke the Kaiten and hit Neji scare on. Even though the lightning ball wasn't as powerful as before, it did quite a damage to Neji, making him fall unconscious. Genma, upon seeing Neji falling smiled, however when he was about to declare Naruto the winner, the jounin was surprised to see the blonde falling as well from supposedly chakra depletion. "Seeing that none of the fighters are able to stand, I hereby declare this match a draw" – Shouted Genma, but his voice was interrupted by the audience's loud cheer for Naruto and Neji.

* * *

**---Up at the Kage's booth---**

Minato was surprised to see Naruto finally mastering that jutsu, even if he altered a little bit. In all truth, that jutsu was a challenge from Kakashi and Minato in order to see Naruto's resolve and commitment to it. True to his word, Naruto managed to do that jutsu, but not only that. Seeing the way his son controlled the lightning ball, made him regard his son as some sort of working hard genius. _Wow, Naruto-kun, using fuuton jutsu to control a raiton attack, pretty impressive and damn creative. _

The Kazekage for his part now understood what the Yondaime Hokage meant and smiled at the boy's abilities. Surely, the boy would do well in Suna with his fuuton affinity; however he knew best than open his mouth to the Hokage. Upon looking at the raikage, who was downright furious at the moment upon seeing the blonde diminishing the technique that made him become the next raikage, the Kazekage turned to look at the blonde down at the arena and smiled once again wondering what else the blonde would show in the future.

**---With Yuugao and Kakashi---**

"Naruto managed to do it, after all. He fought beautifully, don't you think, Yuug…" – Said Kakashi before noticing that the woman was nowhere in sight. Sighing, he vanished since he knew where the girl would go.

Down at the arena, Yuugao appeared next to Naruto and started to caress his hair a little bit. Upon seeing his quiet and peaceful face, Yuugao understood this feeling. It was the aftermath feeling of a great battle and the fact that Naruto would've won if he had a little more chakra, seemed to fill her heart with pride at this. After seeing the medics arriving and tend to his chakra exhaustion, Yuugao stood next to him, just waiting to escort him to a hospital.

Meanwhile, Kurenai and Anko were smiling upon seeing the Anbu showing her affection towards the unconscious Naruto. "Our girl grew up Anko-chan." – Said Kurenai to which Anko nodded and smiled deviously at the new source of blackmail, making Asuma flinch since he knew that look. Back to the center of the arena, after the medics attended to Naruto, Yuugao volunteered to take him to the hospital to which the medics nodded and turned to the other two medics that were attending the unconscious Neji.

Kneeling next to Neji was his father and Tenten, smiling at the sight of Neji's face after the match. Tenten felt her heart get filled with warmth upon seeing Neji smiling so peacefully. _Naruto and Neji both of you did great and I'm proud to have been a part of your team. I know both of you will be promoted to chunnin easily. Wait for me, though. I'll be coming very soon" – _Thought Tenten since she didn't get to fight her second fight, therefore the judges would only analyze her first fight in which she fall for the enemy's taunting. After a while, Genma arrived near Tenten and grabbed her arms to the air. "Since no one advanced to the finals, I hereby declare Tenten, the tournament champion" – Shouted Genma, earning the cheer from the audience and the respect of the fellow shinobis.

**---At the Hospital---**

After issuing a room for the unconscious blonde, Yuugao tool off her mask and turned to look at Naruto. She was proud of him for the fights and knew that he would be promoted to chunnin. Getting closer, Yuugao once again caressed his hair softly, being this her new hobby. Yuugao was amazed by the softness of Naruto's hair and found that she could do this all day long. However, when she looked at his face, she felt the sudden urge to kiss the blonde. She knew that he was unconscious, therefore wouldn't return their first kiss, but she couldn't control herself. Suddenly, her dream came to her mind and she began to touch her lips with her fingers, trying to remember how she felt while on her dream.

Unfortunately, she couldn't remember and she was eager for the feeling. "Naruto-kun, I know I shouldn't do this until after you were conscious, but I can't help myself. I want to feel your lips caressing my own, so I'll kiss you now" – Said Yuugao as she moved her head forward and stopped when she was looking directly at his eyes. Not managing to wait any longer, Yuugao landed the kiss and immediately felt the bliss she was eager for. Somehow, she was feeling calm and peaceful, like this was the right thing to do. Nothing could stop her from getting a kiss from her beloved blonde.

However as she was kissing the blonde softly, she failed to realize that one red-head pregnant was watching everything with a smile on her face. Kushina was at the hospital, checking on her soon to be born baby when she heard Yuugao checking in with a chakra-exhausted Naruto. When she heard what Yuugao said, her heart filled with joy upon seeing that her son had stolen Yuugao's heart and was already envisioning her son starting a relationship.

After Kushina left, Yuugao put on her mask again and proceeded to leave. However, her mistake was when she turned to see the sleeping blonde only to hear someone clearing the throat and turned to see Anko and Kurenai there smiling at the now Anbu member. "When I saw you and Naruto leaving the stadium, I thought that you'd be taking him elsewhere, Yuugao-chan, but then I guess his chakra needed to recover" – Said Anko to which Yuugao sighed and vanished by using the shunshin, leaving Anko and Kurenai together with Naruto.

After some giggling courtesy of the two girls, Anko went to see if the blonde was okay. After some verification, Anko smiled and summoned a scroll on the hebi style of fighting and took a seat near her genin. Kurenai, upon seeing this, was caught wondering about the snake mistress's actions. "Anko-chan, what are you doing?" – Asked Kurenai to which Anko looked at her. "Until he gets promoted for chunnin, he is my responsibility and since Tenten is with Neji on his room, I figured that I'd stay here and wait for him to wake up" – Said Anko to which Kurenai nodded.

"Chakra exhaustion takes a while to heal. He'll be unconscious for some time." – Said Kurenai before seeing Anko smile and turned to reply. "To normal shinobi, yes. But Naruto has high stamina and chakra capacity; he'll be up in two hours, give or take. So, until he does, I'll be here reading these advanced katas so as to pass the time." – Said Anko, making Kurenai sigh and just turn towards the door, leaving the place.

**---2 hours later---**

True to Anko's word, Naruto opened his eyes only to see that he wasn't at the chunnin tournament anymore. Looking up, he saw white ceiling and wondered how the hell he ended up in the hospital in the first place. Then as the memory came back, he smiled upon being a part of such a thrilled battle. However, he was wondering why he felt something touching his lips on occasion, but he shrugged it off seeing that it must've been some dream.

"I see that you woke up, Naruto-kun. Had a good sleep?" – Asked Anko, making the blonde turn his neck towards Anko's direction. "Anko-sensei, so Tenten won the tournament after all, right? After me and Neji fell unconscious, she was the only one left on the tournament. Did they announce the promotions yet?" – Asked Naruto frantically to which Anko called some timeout so that she could answer one question at a time. "Yes, Tenten was the winner and no they haven't announced the promotions yet. In fact that will only happen a week from today, since the Hokage will gather the judges and assemble your performances" – Explained Anko to which Naruto nodded and turned to seat on top of the bed.

"I see. Well, thanks for staying here Anko-sensei. I think I'm heading home. Kaa-san must be worried about me" – Said Naruto before he got out of the bed and stood in front of Anko. "Do that. You guys have the week off. Go do what you feel like." – Said Anko, earning a nod and a fuuton shunshin later from the blonde, vanishing instantly. Anko for her part shrugged it off and vanished as well, leaving the room empty. After a while, a nurse came to see the patient only to see that the room was empty.

* * *

**---****Five days later---**

Minato was going through the judge's reports on Team 5's abilities during the chunnin exams. He smiled upon seeing that according to the judges, both Naruto and Neji had shown abilities both in strategy and combat. Minato smiled even more at Naruto's display of ninjutsu during the exam and Neji's usage of doton ninjutsu, which even though the hokage knew, it was quite surprising that Neji knew high level techniques.

Overall, both of them deserved to be promoted to chunnin. However, he wasn't so sure about their female teammate. Although Tenten displayed strength peculiar to a chunnin with a high level katon ninjutsu technique, she did fall at the enemy's taunting. A chunnin had to be calm and be able to control his emotions while on a mission. Being that said, what would happen to her team in case Tenten falls for the trap once more. He needed to be objective with the promotions. Once he rested the report on top of his office, he got up and turned to watch the village below him, mirroring the past Hokages who happened to do this on occasions.

However, when he was wondering about what to do, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in" – Shouted Minato, authorizing Anko's entry to the room. "You called me Hokage-sama?" – Asked Anko to which Minato nodded and ushered her to sit down for a while. "Anko-san, in my hands here are the reports from your team's performance at the exams and I'm happy to say that Neji and Naruto are capable of being chunnin. However, I'm uncertain about Tenten-san and that's where you come in" – Said Minato to which Anko nodded and Minato continued.

"Even though she displayed great fighting skills, you know as well as I do, that she can't have that behavior while on missions. She could end up hurting or even killing her team, by falling directly to the enemy's trap. Also from your team's mission reports, I managed to see that this already happened before, doesn't it?" – Asked Minato, rhetorically speaking. "Therefore, Anko-san. I would like to ask you a question, completely off the record. Do you believe she is capable of performing chunnin assignments?" – Asked Minato to which Anko sighed and turned to look at the Hokage, wondering what to say to the man. In fact, she also wasn't sure about promoting Tenten if she had the power to do so. The girl had talent, that was for sure, however if the same thing happens while on a mission, thing could get ugly real fast. However, no one was better suited to work as a team than Tenten and team 5 did wonders together.

"Hokage-sama, even though her conduct was inexcusable, I believe that she's the best suited to work with Naruto and Neji's team. Therefore, it's my opinion that she would get the promotion, however Naruto and Neji would be a must at any mission she goes, since both of them are capable of handling the first missions, only until she gets familiarized with the position" – Said Anko to which Minato choose to just stare at the snake mistress while pondering on the idea.

Minato was rather pleased that after the exams, clients from all over Fire Country and some from Wave Country requested Naruto and Neji for high C and B ranked missions. And according to Anko, Tenten would be the third man of the team. Suddenly, Minato had a terrific idea. While he believed that the three could handle the requested missions, if a jounin were to be with them, they will be able to pick A ranked missions, therefore selecting high A ranked and S ranked to the elite jounin and Anbus.

"Anko-san, I'll go with your idea, regarding Tenten-san. Team 5 will be promoted to chunnin. Also, I would like to advance a piece of information with you. After Neji and Naruto's battles, mission requests are up the roof in here. Therefore, I will be assigning the promoted Team 5, high C, B and A ranked missions throughout the Fire Country and Water Country as well. This will be a test for you as well Anko in order to see if you're qualified for S ranked missions in the future." – Said Minato, making Anko squeal at the possibility of an S ranked mission. "However, I'll be frank with you. Team 5 will be doing missions after mission for at least two months; you think your team can handle it?" – Asked Minato to which Anko closed her eyes to think about it.

She would answer it right away only to have the Hokage's blessing and possibly give her a S ranked mission. However, she knew that doing middle to high ranked missions continuously would be dangerous and quite taxing. Nevertheless, she had faith on her team and knew that they would make it. "We are more than capable, Hokage-san" - said Anko, earning a smile from Minato.

After Anko was dismissed, Minato turned to look at the village once more. On one side, he was slightly afraid of sending his son to do so many missions, however, he knew better than to think stuff like this. Team 5 had a great reputation. Naruto and Neji back each other up and Tenten manages to back both of them with long-ranged jutsu. Not to mention that Anko is there as well, so she is a jounin.

'_Team 5. Quite a team, you got there Naruto-kun_'


	12. Uchiha incident

**Chapter 12 – Uchiha incident**

After Anko left the Hokage's office, she was ecstatic to say the least. She was remembering her concerns over picking a genin team, simply because she wasn't fond of the idea of babysitting three brats while doing boring D ranked missions. However, when she saw Naruto's potential at the academy, she couldn't help but think at the time how good it would to be the boy's jounin sensei. When she heard the Hokage say the names of her team, she knew right there that this team would be legendary in the future. The Hokage's son, a Hyuuga prodigy and the best kenjutsu fighter among the graduates; therefore it was a gamble with 100% chance of winning.

Seeing that the son was already coming down and the town lights had already illuminated the city, Anko thought best to tell her team the news tomorrow. Then, she thought about what she would do now, since although Anko was dating Iruka, she wasn't against the idea of simply enjoying a good drink every once in a while. Therefore, she chose to go to her all time favorite bar in Konoha. The Burning Leaf is quite famous among the high ranking shinobis, plus the fact the place is owed by one famous jounin from the Third Shinobi War called Aoshi. Shinju Aoshi was one of the best swordsman shinobi around back then and he was one of the responsible for giving the victory to the Leaf, along with the Yondaime Hokage and Copycat ninja Kakashi.

* * *

**---At the Bar---**

Already inside the noisy and crowded bar, Anko spotted some chunnins celebrating what seemed to be the promotion of one of them to the rank of jounin, since the guy that was standing was holding a jounin vest and his chunnin vest in both hands and some random ninjas she normally sees in here. Dismissing such thought, the snake jounin shouted to the bartender, who happens to be owner. "Aoshi, a bottle of sake for me" – Shouted Anko to which the tall and scarred man replied with a laugh, while pretty much slamming one battle of sake on the booth in front of him.

After Anko seated on the bench in front of the bottle, she appreciated the man's initiative and opened the bottle with an expertise dignified of a chronic drinker. After serving herself some and then drank everything at once purely for the feel of the burning liquid while travelling down her throat. _Man, this is the life. I wonder why Iruka-kun doesn't like it so much. I mean, with a few set of dango, this place could be called heaven on earth – _Thought Anko as she drank another glass of sake and then the alcohol was already loosening her senses a bit. "Aoshi, when are you receiving sake from Kumo? After I drank it that time, it's hard to drink the regular ones" – Shouted Anko to which the scarred man looked at her and grinned.

"Those fuckers are taking too long, indeed my dear Anko. I'd expected it to arrive yesterday." – Said the bartender to which Anko snorted and drunk it once more. "Oh man, I was really eager to have another taste. Oh well, doesn't matter, though. Right now, I just want to celebrate" – Shouted Anko to which the man smiled and asked the woman as to the reason for celebration. "Well, my dear Aoshi, I received some wonderful news by the Yondaime. As of tomorrow, my genin team will become my _chunnin _team" – Said Anko, however because of the volume of her voice, the whole bar ended up hearing the news and like a miracle, everyone stopped the noise and turned to look at the woman.

Anko felt like shouting everyone to mind their own business, but since she was on the spotlight right now, it would be nice to mess a little bit with everyone. Aoshi for his part was surprised about hearing this. The man knew of her team's reputation and now they managed to pass the chunnin exams on their first try. Other, however, were shouting words of recognition towards the members of team 5. "Man, the Yondaime's son was the best among the participants. I swear; when he created that lightning storm, my throat was simply dried from screaming" – Shouted one, which made Anko snort at the guy because of the way the guy called Naruto.

"No way, that Hyuuga Neji was way better. He beat his first enemy with only one attack" – Shouted another, earning some shouts as well. Anko was almost about to shout Tenten's name when ne of the kunoichis that was around, did that for her. "You man, the only ones you acknowledge are the ones from your gender. What about that Tenten person who used that high level katon ninjutsu, huh?" – Asked the kunoichi, earning the approval of her peers.

After hearing the final approval of her team, Anko found best to add her commentary. "All three of them are worthy of recognition for their skills. I'm not only speaking this as their sensei, but as a jounin as well. However, a few words of advice to any of you who are thinking of congratulating the _Yondaime's son_. First of all, how many of you had to fight to step away from your father's reputations?" – Asked Anko, before seeing a number of hands on the air. "So, how would you feel if even after so much hard work, people would still address you as your father's son?" – Asked Anko once again, now making people realize their mistake. "So, that being said, all of you understand how Namikaze Naruto hates being referred as the Yondaime's son" – Said Anko to which everyone nodded and silence was upon everyone.

­Aoshi, seeing that the bar needed something to continue the mood, shouted some stimulation fraises. "Why the down faces? Let's have a toast for new Team Anko and their promotion to chunnin on their first try" – Shouted the man, before everyone followed suit and raised their glasses in approval. After the noise started again, Anko turned around and poured some more sake. However when she turned, she was surprised to see one familiar face sitting two seats to Anko's left, playing with an empty glass of wine. Anko was even more surprised to see such person hear of all places. Yuugao wasn't someone who would be seen much in a public place unless with either Kurenai or Anko, but now however, she was here playing with her glass looking like something bad has happened. Just as Anko tried to approach the Anbu kunoichi, Yuugao beat her to it. "Before you start making conclusions, nothing bad really happened" – Said Yuugao, making Anko approach some more and take a seat next to the woman. "What happened, then? You look like crap" – Said Anko not even caring with the choice of words to which Yuugao sigh and explain about what happened.

Yuugao explained how after taking Naruto to the hospital and how much she stayed just looking at Naruto's peaceful face. After that, she told how she kneeled close to him and kissed his lips slightly. Anko, after hearing that, was stunned. She never knew Yuugao could be so forward as to actually steal a kiss from a man when the guy wasn't awake; however she misunderstood the reason as to why Yuugao was feeling like this. "Yuugao-chan, tell me something here. You kissed Naruto and now you're sad? What's the matter?" – Asked Anko to which Yuugao sigh some more.

"When I kissed him, I felt something strange; it felt like that was the right thing to do at the time. I…I never felt this way and frankly it's scaring me to death. I see my parents together and always wondered whether I'd find someone to be with. However, I've never fallen in love before…I" – Said Yuugao but was stopped by Anko who smiled at her friend and ushered her to take a walk outside for some fresh air.

Already outside, Anko and Yuugao were walking down the road under the moonlight. Anko smiled upon seeing that today was full moon, thus she knew that Naruto was looking at it as well. "Yuugao-chan, what do you think of the moon like it is tonight?" – Asked Anko to which Yuugao looked at her for a moment, then she looked at the moon. For a while, Yuugao was trying to analyze the sight as in wondering why Anko would ask such a thing. However, when realization hit her in the face, a smile adjourned her facial features. She remembered who would just stare at the full moon for hours and still be lost by the immense beauty.

"It looks like _him_." – Said Yuugao, earning a smile from Anko who replied. "It sure does. I remember seeing Naruto stare at it while on a mission; and the moonlight was simply reflecting through his eyes, making quite a sight. Naruto is special, Yuugao-chan. He has a spark inside of him that many like him fight to achieve and I have the feeling that he likes you as well" – Said Anko before seeing the Anbu blush crimson, but nodded. "He is special alright. But, what should I do? Do I tell him about the kiss? Do I not tell him?" – Asked Yuugao to which Anko turned to think. "I don't know, actually. Naruto would at least prefer to be awake during your first kiss, but that went out of the window. However, if you describe to him the same way you described to me, then I'm pretty sure he'll give you an even better one" – Said Anko, winking at the Anbu kunoichi to which up to this point was able to hold her own.

However, when Anko told her of such possibility, Yuugao was now caught imagining how it would be like if the kiss was in fact better than the first. Anko smiled at this and remembered how she felt when she met Iruka. However, Anko remembered something that could become troublesome for the kunoichi. "Yuugao-chan, if you choose to tell him, you have to do it today" – Said Anko to which Yuugao looked at her quizzically. "Why today? What will happen tomorrow?" – Asked Yuugao.

"The Hokage called me to tell about his team's promotion and also tell me that our team will be performing several missions in a row for three months straight. So, he won't be here until then and we leave tomorrow" – Said Anko to which Yuugao nodded and began the thinking process. _Oh man, that's just great. I'm in such a mess right now that I don't think I can talk to him right now. However, I know Naruto won't go to sleep today seeing that it is full moon. , I'll have to have a quick shower and change._ – Thought Yuugao as she turned to Anko. "I'll have to go home, Anko-chan. Maybe I can catch him awake since he won't be sleeping today, bye" – Shouted Yuugao before vanishing, thus leaving Anko alone on the street. "Good for you, girl" – Said Anko before vanishing as well.

* * *

**---With Naruto---**

A while later, the blond was found sitting on the roof, watching the most amazing sight. What before was just a hobby, however, now, Naruto considered more than that. He found that weren't enough names to call such what he was seeing right now. His father's words were echoing through his ears and he found that his father was right in a very twisted sort of way. Only a werewolf would be staring at the moon like Naruto did, however no commentary would stop him from doing on occasions such as these. It was approximately a week after the chunnin exams and still the Hokage didn't tell the genins of the exam's results. While it unnerved him to not know the results, Naruto found that the week vacation was doing wonderings for him. The Blond thought about his strongest raiton technique, the lightning ball and just wondered about how he could perform the completed technique.

Since having to make some last night improvisations with the jutsu, what once was the lightning ball **cannon**, for now it's only lightning ball being controlled by a fuuton jutsu, which obviously cost a lot of chakra to perform. After the exam, he was able to consult with Kakashi to see if he had some ideas. At first, Naruto was hopeful since Kakashi was actually putting some extreme thinking at the time, however when afterwards he looked at the blond and said that he didn't have a clue, it almost made Naruto experiment the raiton attack on him out of anger and pure frustration for not being able to complete the technique.

Also, Naruto was contemplating whether or not he would become a chunnin. He thought he did well at the first parts of the exam, though he kind of felt bad for others to see his worst nightmare on the second part of the exam. When Kakashi came to talk to him that day, Naruto instantly knew other have seen it as well, that means there was a possibility his father saw it as well. Speaking of the Minato, Naruto was curious of the man's sudden mystery behavior; however Naruto guessed it was for the sake of keeping secrecy until the promotions that will occur tomorrow at his office at 10 o' clock. Another thing Naruto was eager to be promoted to chunnin was that he would have access to more restricted and more detailed knowledge of ninjutsu theory which could help him with his raiton attack as well as his jutsu creation. Also, Naruto knew that to be further promoted to jounin, apart from a certain number of missions and experience, a jounin must have at least master over two ninjutsu elements. However, Naruto wanted to try at least one more element to add to his jutsu arsenal, so if he became a chunnin, he could pick up very interesting material and then be able to choose one.

Suddenly, Naruto was awaken from his hobby when he heard some footsteps coming his way. Although steady and the fact that whoever it was, he or she was just taking the time to get to him, Naruto was on high alert. Not once had anyone came up here to be with him save for one person which sadly wasn't seen for days. When the person's figure emerged from the shadows and into the moon light, Naruto simply sent his jaws to the ground. There in front of him, stood the most gorgeous person in existence. Uzuki Yuugao came to tell him what had occurred at the hospital, however when she saw how Naruto reacted to her appearance, she blushed crimson. Since Yuugao hardly focused on the male gender her entire life, the girl wasn't accustomed to causing such reactions to a man, even though without her knowing, other men did fall for her at Anbu HQ. "Hello Naruto-kun?" – Greeted Yuugao, waking Naruto out of his stare at her appearance. "Yuugao-chan, you are even more beautiful when under the moon light, where have you been all this time? I've been looking to see you after the exams" – Said Naruto, still not being able to take his eyes away from the mix between the best sights that crossed his eye vision.

Said girl blushed one more time at how affectionate Naruto was to her and approached to sit next to the blond. "I…I was thinking about something, Naruto-kun. And I came here to tell you about it" – Said Yuugao to which Naruto looked at her in wondering. "When I took you to the hospital, I…I kind of kissed you" – Said Yuugao before seeing Naruto's eyes getting bigger in realization. "You….kissed me? When I woke up, I remember felling something touching my lips, but I couldn't figure out what was it." – Said Naruto, earning a nod from the woman who then turned to see his face for any sight of anger of sadness or at least something that would make him mad at her for doing what she did, but before she even know what he thought about what happened, she turned to explain. "After I took you to the hospital on the day of the final battle, when I saw your face, I…I couldn't help but want right there to know the feeling of kissing you. I mean I'll admit I had dreams about us kissing, so I went forward and kissed you, I'm sorry" – Said Yuugao looking down.

Naruto for his part was stunned at the girl's feelings for him to do such a thing, nevertheless it didn't mean that he wouldn't do the same had he had to take her to the hospital. "Yuugao-chan, you don't need to say sorry for that. Had it been the other way around, I'd certainly do the same thing with you. I…I mean, I always imagined how it would be to share a kiss with you under the moonlight" – Said Naruto trying to contain the huge blush on his face, however Yuugao wasn't able to and the image of that happening instantly appear inside her head and now she was wondering what would be to kiss him under the moonlight. "That is very romantic, Naruto-kun. You know, if you want, we can do it right now" – Said Yuugao before seeing Naruto's neck turn almost 180 degrees of surprise at what the girl was implying. So, without even muttering a word, Naruto's head inclined forward in order to kiss the purple haired kunoichi and Yuugao's head went to meet with his. When their lips touched, both of them hugged each other and the make-out section began.

Both were enjoying every second of their interaction and even the hands were helping the situations. On occasions, Naruto's hands went over to caress her cheek while Yuugao was using her hands to caress his hair. After a while, moaning could be heard from both of them from the momentary breakings for air and then continued to kiss each other. Naruto could say he was in heaven right now and that he was kissing an angel, but after a while, he couldn't know if Yuugao was an angel or not. Yuugao for her part, remembered to patting Anko on the back from bringing up the idea of kissing Naruto, simply because such sensation was one of the best if not the best thing that ever happened in her life so far.

After the new couple broke the kiss, they looked at each other with a new light in each other's eyes. Up until now, although a certain connection was present, their relationship was restricted to verbal teasing here and then. Now that they've kissed like that, the bond was formed. "This is the first time I ever got this feeling, Naru-kun. Even when I kissed you at the hospital, it wasn't even compared to the kiss we shared, I…uhmmm" – Said Yuugao before was interrupted by the blond giving her another kiss on the lips. Yuugao didn't complain as she began massaging the blond's hair while playing with her tongue inside of Naruto' mouth.

However as the kiss deepened, Yuugao felt yet another surge and now she was worried. Her whole life, she only worried about becoming stronger as a kunoichi, so information about dating, seduction, hormones, etc.; was new stuff to her. She was feeling something wet downstairs and wondered what that was all about. It was not the wet feeling that preoccupied her; it was the sudden feeling of arousal and excitement that were rising as the make-out section continued. Naruto for his part, was having the same sensation, but it was much more difficult to hind his excitement from Yuugao for obvious reasons.

Now because of the sudden wave of hormones from both parts, Naruto and Yuugao were intensifying the make-out section up to the point of Yuugao's arms already rubbing Naruto's arms while his hands were caressing her neck. Suddenly, Naruto broke the kiss and went to lick the girl's neck, making Yuugao moan his name as an authorization for him to continue what he was doing. As her hormones intensified, Yuugao's Anbu training suddenly caught up and she separated from him before something wrong happens. Naruto was now in trance and wasn't able to stop the urge, however when Yuugao broke free of their make-out section, he was found breathing like he just sparred with someone.

"I…I'm sorry Yuugao-chan, I don't know what got to me to do all this, I…" – Said Naruto, now stuttering to which Yuugao dismissed. "No, please don't Naruto-kun. I was caught up as well. I mean it was so good and all, but we need some sort of control over this. These feelings are novelty for the both of us, so for now, let's take it slow, okay?" – Asked the girl to which Naruto smiled and nodded. "Agreed" – Said Naruto.

After a while of just cuddling together, Yuugao bid the blonde farewell and left the premises towards her house.

* * *

**---At the Uchiha household---**

Uchiha Itachi was going home after what appeared to be the most strenuous mission that he ever participated in. Itachi was by no means naïve to human behavior. However, while he knew that sometimes emotions can overrule someone's control, what he saw on the field wasn't meant to be seen by one with a weak stomach. Blood spilled everywhere, human arms and legs on the ground, heads hanged on trees. It was a vision from hell. Feeling a sudden need of rest, Itachi landed on the roof of his house and entered inside his room.

However, as his eyes were shutting, his ears caught a faint screaming that came from the living-room. Sasuke was away travelling with his team on a mission, so Itachi concluded that either his father or his mother were in danger thus, he transported to the living-room with his ninjato already in hand to take care of the captor. However the sight before him made his mind snap for a moment in sudden anger. There in front of him was his mother all drenched in blood and deep cuts on her body from his father's katana. "Stay out of this Itachi. I have to do this" – Shouted Fugaku before shaking in fear at the appearance of his son. Anger was now consuming Itachi. Because of his mission, he wanted to expel the hideous sight, but now that he saw his own father wanting to kill his mother for reasons he didn't know or didn't care.

"Stay away? And what, let you kill my mother, are you insane?" – Shouted Itachi before charging forward and impelling his father on the chest with his sword, thus killing the man instantly. For a moment, there, Itachi couldn't hear anything, other than the sound of his mother screaming for his name. When he looked at the man in front of him with blood coming out of his mouth, realization was upon him in seconds. He just killed his own father. Even if it was to protect his mother, he just killed his own father…his own blood. Tears started falling from his eyes as his father's body fell on the ground. Uchiha Mikoto got up from the shock and embraced the now crying Itachi. However, when she looked at her son's eyes, she was petrified at the sight of a different sharingan.

Instead of the standard three tomoe, Itachi's sharingan was similar to a black shruriken. However, seeing that her son was suffering, she hugged him even tighter and whispering comforting words to her son. "It's alright, Itachi-kun. Mommy is here with you" – Whispered Mikoto to which Itachi landed his head on her shoulder and started his sad outbursts. "Why did he attack you, Kaa-san? Why did he do it?" – Asked Itachi to which Mikoto sighed as she looked to her now dead husband. "I'll tell you my son, but first wait here while I call the hokage, okay?" – Asked Mikoto to which Itachi nodded and calmed down a bit.

After a while, Minato was at the Uchiha household with a couple of Anbus to investigate what happened. Mikoto told him what transpired and the Hokage sighed, knowing of Fugaku's ambitious personality. Minato knew only a glimpse of attaining the next version of the sharingan, but he knew enough as to prohibit such practice. To attain the next level, an Uchiha must push all emotions aside and just murder his or her most beloved person. Fugaku wanted to kill Mikoto in order to attain the next version called Mangenkyou Sharingan.

Minato also heard from the woman that her son ended up killing his own father so as to protect her mother. Upon hearing this, Minato shivered just from imagining being on Fugaku's position. After comforting Mikoto, Minato went over to his Anbu captain who was now sitting on a couch looking at his hands. Upon seeing this, Minato sigh knowing that Itachi is imagining that his father's blood was now all over Itachi's hand. "Itachi, look at me" – Said Minato, but no response ever came from the Uchiha. "Itachi, please look at me" – Said Minato already with a loud voice, which earned the man's attention. "Hokage-sama, what have I done?" – Asked Itachi still looking at his hands. "You did nothing wrong Itachi, you hear me? You protected your mother from certain death. Now, I'm entrusting a two week license for you, your mother and Sasuke when he returns from his mission" – Said Minato before getting up and leave to talk to Mikoto once more.

Upon passing by her, he landed one hand on her left shoulder and looked at her for a second. It was right there that Mikoto knew what the Hokage wanted to tell her. She knew how passionate Yondaime Hokage was about following on Sandaime's will of fire speech, so it went without saying that just a look from the blond was enough to bring confidence to others. Yondaime didn't need to open his mouth to say that he'll help should need arise and Mikoto understood the message. After turning to see the Yondaime leaving after his Anbu team, Mikoto was wide-eyed to see that the man's presence managed to fill the entire house as in all attentions were directed at him, rather than the body being carried away.

However, Fugaku was the head of the family and now that he's dead, a replacement would need to be appointed. Unfortunately, the Uchiha family was being seriously reduced over time, simply because some delusional members, who thought that having the sharingan, would grant an advantage when in battle. Thus, a lot of them lost their lives in battle from forgetting one specific rule of the sharingan, which meant that while the sharingan is the copying eye, thus giving an heads up before the attack, the ninja's body has to be evolved up to the point of being able to counter-attack or dodge the attacks. So, the Uchiha family only consisted of civilians, scarce members of the Konoha Police Force who by the way, don't bother to train more than they need to, Fugaku's family and Uchiha Shisui, a member whose parents were killed during the Third Shinobi War and was raised together with Itachi .

So, the only ones worthy of being nominated clan head were Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui. Itachi and Shisui would compete for the position since they are the same age and Sasuke was just now placed into a genin team. However, Itachi's mental stability was what worried Mikoto. From times that she saw her eldest son, Itachi was very stoic about things, never once losing control over his emotions. However, even though Mikoto was on the verge of dying, she managed to see that Itachi was different. His eyes were twitching, like he was trying to control himself from losing his mind, maybe he saw something that set him on edge. Walking towards her son, Mikoto asked Itachi what happened before he came home and the eldest Uchiha responded.

As he told to his mother the mission, Mikoto's eyes were getting bigger at each sentence Itachi spoke. It wasn't so much because of the mission's details and yes the way Itachi was reporting the mission. His eyes were wide and empty like he was relieving the entire thing over and over again. Mikoto was scared of seeing her son like this. Itachi's face was one of chronic despair and to Mikoto; it felt like he was telling the mission while the slaughter was happening in front of him. After a moment, though, Itachi's story approached what happened in the house and his mangenkyou sharingan was visible yet again. Mikoto was afraid because she knew what such eyes could do to a fragile mind, so Itachi needed help immediately. Unfortunately, the woman wasn't aware of anything that could calm Itachi, since all his life was devoted to being a shinobi and not once did he showed appreciation for any sort of care and love that Mikoto gave to him as a mother.

However as Mikoto was furiously trying to think of something, her brain connected and her kunoichi training came in. Before marrying Fugaku, Mikoto was a Konoha jounin and expert on genjutsu techniques. Mikoto trained her eyes to exhaustion in order for her to be able to cast one genjutsu just by looking at the person's eyes, thus disrupting their senses. When she managed to do it, ever Uchiha was surprised to hear that the woman wouldn't use such ability so as to torture the enemy, even if they deserved. Instead, she focused on just disabling an enemy's senses long enough so as to strike him with taijutsu or a low level ninjutsu. Now activating her three tomoe sharingan, which by the way caused some strain simply because she never bothered to activate it for quite some time and saw her son's chakra circulating through his body. Focusing chakra through her eyes, she looked at Itachi one more time and casted one of her favorites called **Yume Kanran no Jutsu **(Dream Viewing Jutsu).

After a while, Itachi stopped trembling and his face was much calmer. The mangenkyou was deactivated and now Mikoto was smiling upon seeing her eldest son resting his head on her lap. Mikoto always dreamed of seeing Itachi smiling, however he was always so strict and would die before anyone sees him drop the mask. But now, Itachi appeared so at peace that Mikoto wished she had a camera to record such moment. One time, Itachi was happy playing at the compound when Fugaku stopped him and told him that emotions such as happiness, joy, sadness, etc, doesn't belong to a ninja, ever since then Itachi never smiled again, instead he was found studying books about being a ninja and constantly training alone. Now, however, things would be different and Mikoto was sure of that. However, there was still another thing to worry about and that was Sasuke.

* * *

**---The next day---**

The next day, Naruto awoke after a brief sleep because of him being awake watching the full moon and a little 'interaction' with Yuugao. Speaking of which, Naruto blushed at the memory of what happened and seriously wanted to kiss her again. However, another thing was in his mind and that was the result of the chunnin exams. Because of the fact that his team was the only genins that participated at the third part of the exams, the promotion will occur at the Hokage's office as opposed to the genin promotion. Dressing quickly and kissing his pregnant mother goodbye, he went straight to the Hokage's office where he would receive the news of the results.

On the way, he ran into Neji and Tenten and then all three went to the Hokage's office together. Upon arrival, they were surprised to see their sensei there standing near the door which leaded to the Hokage's office. "About time you arrived, brats. I was already thinking of summoning some snaked to wake your asses up" – Said Anko, making the tree genin flinch from what happened when the word snakes was mentioned. Anko, however, almost exploded in laughter after seeing the look in their faces, earning sweat-drops from the team. "Anko, stop threatening them and send them in, would you?" – Shouted Minato from behind the door to which Anko sighed and opened the door for the genin.

* * *

**---At the Hokage's office---**

After the team entered, all four of them stopped in front of the Hokage. Minato, for his part, decided to scare them a little bit so as to feel their resolve. So, he was making his serious face for a moment adding a little bit of killing intent so as to gauge their reaction. Seeing sweats coming down their faces, Minato smiled since the three did a great job not showing afraid. "Relax, team 5. Now, I've called you here so as to discuss the results of the chunnin exams. The first two tests were to test your knowledge and your abilities regarding genjutsu and facing interrogations. As you grow as a shinobi, you'll start being entrusted to some of the village's secrets. If you get caught by foreign ninja, you'll have to know how to live through interrogation. Next, we tested your resolve in breaking your own nightmares. While on the field, there will be tough situations. So, you all have to be in control of your emotions so as to not be overwhelmed by the enemy. Next, we evaluated your performance in one on one fighting. Neji, just like your family, you managed to win your fights quickly by utilizing high level jyuuken and even managed to break the Hyuuga tradition by adding some doton ninjutsu techniques as well. Naruto, your calm and analytical mind worked wonders against the first opponent and your high level ninjutsu managed to secure your way up to the final match against Neji. And last but not least, Tenten. Even though you've only fought one match, you managed to use Konoha's strongest katon ninjutsu, thus winning the battle. All of you three displayed abilities particular to a chunnin, so it's with pride that I announce to all three the promotion of chunnin, congratulations" – Said the Hokage, smiling upon seeing cheers from Tenten and Naruto as well as a smile from Neji.

After Minato told the news, he threw three chunnin vests to the newly promoted ninjas as well as an outfit that every shinobi, chunnin or higher, uses. Neji looked at the clothes in disgust and seriously wanted that the Hokage said that it was optional. Tenten simply didn't want to wear these clothes for preferring her Chinese style clothes. Naruto, however, vanished within a small typhoon to get dressed, leaving the rest in the room wondering what the hell the little blond had in mind. A while later, Naruto appeared; only this time wearing his new clothes. Minato, upon looking at his son, smiled after remembering his promotion to chunnin and him dressing the same style. Anko for her part, snorted at the chunnin from using regular shinobi clothes, thus not standing up to his model of making his own reputation.

Upon hearing this, Naruto smiled and explained his theory to his sensei. "Seeing that all three of you are using different styles of clothing, mine would be unique. Plus my 'regular' clothes, as you shall put it, will not stand out while on a mission, thus enemies will take a while to remember me when my reputation is set. Plus the fact that such an outfit is best fit for hiding" – Said Naruto smiling at the looks of disbelief by Anko and the others, who didn't think he would care to retort every single thing Anko said. Anko for her part, wasn't so fond of any type of discussion so she snorted once again and dismissed the issue. "Whatever"

Minato smiled at the interaction between the team when he remembered another announcement was in order. "Right, now normally Anko here would no longer be your sensei, since you all upgraded to chunnins. However, after reviewing some mission requests, I chose to gather a new team consisted of you four. Three chunnins and one jounin; now after the chunnin tournament, Konoha received quite a number of mission requests, however the peculiar thing about it was that all of the clients asked for all of you to complete for them. Being that said, new team Anko will be on the road for the period of three months, performing missions from C to A ranked" – Said Minato, earning gasps from the team at the mention of doing 'A' ranked missions.

"Before you ask questions, there will be only 'A' ranked mission and that's going to be a low level one. Anyway, all the details are within a scroll that I handed to Anko here. Dismissed" – Said Minato before the team in front of him vanished.

* * *

**---At the Dango place---**

After arriving at the dango place and placing their orders, Anko proceeded to report what the team should be doing. "Okay, as the hokage said, our team will be on the road for three months time, so remember to pack for that period. I know all of you carry scrolls in which you can keep your things so use as much as needed. Now, even though we will be out of the village, that doesn't mean we won't be training. Our first mission will be a B ranked escort mission. A very import merchant from Wave Country came to see the chunnin exams and now he paid for a safe escort to his home. The reason for the mission being B ranked, it is because there has been rumors of a business man that wants to rule all commerce within Water Country and our client happens to be one of the few who stands in his way. As to training, we'll be perfecting each of your elemental affinities. Neji, ask Hizashi for some scrolls regarding more advanced jyuuken katas and leave for me to take some advanced forms of doton ninjutsu. Tenten as well, since I happen to have some books on advanced katon ninjutsu. Also, search some scrolls regarding your weapon techniques as well, they will come in handy. That leaves you Naruto; you already have a natural affinity for wind, which means that fuuton is already second nature to you, so we'll perfect your raiton affinity. More so, your trench knifes style of fighting will be improved as well and for that to happen, you are going to increase your speed in which you perform your katas" – Said Anko to which Tenten and Neji nodded but Naruto wasn't sure what would happen.

"Ano, Anko-sensei. What do you mean by increasing my speed? What sort of training are we going to be doing?" – Asked Naruto, but instantly regretted after seeing Anko's devious smile directed at him. "**Ninpou Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **(Shuriken Clone Jutsu)"** – **Said Anko, making Naruto flinch at the insinuation of throwing shurikens at him and expect to slash through them. "Now, all three of you head to your homes and start packing. After that, Naruto you have to head to the library to acquire a book on advanced raiton manipulation. We are supposed to meet the client in three hours at the west gate so we'll meet up there." – Said Anko before the team vanished and went to their specific homes.

* * *

**---In Naruto's house---**

When Naruto arrived, he was surprised to see his father eating lunch with his mother. "Hello there Naruto-kun; want some lunch?" – Asked Minato to which Naruto nodded and pulled a chair to sit. Kushina smiled from seeing the sudden change in wardrobe, since she knew from Minato that their son was promoted to chunnin. "Congratulations on the promotion Naruto-kun, we are proud of you" – Said Kushina, making Naruto blush in response. After this, Naruto told his mother of how long he'll be out of the village doing missions and that he would be home in time to see his little sister being born. Kushina was worried about her son, but shrugged it off seeing that he could take care of himself. After that, he turned to his father and decided to ask something. "Tou-san, I was wondering if you got any books on more advanced forms of raiton ninjutsu. Not being able to master that scroll you got me that time, really got on my nerve, however I realized that no matter how much I tried, I wouldn't be able to do it because of somewhat restricted knowledge towards the lightning element." – Said Naruto to which Minato nodded and told his son to wait so that he could get it from his personal library.

After a moment, he appeared in the room with a rather thick book about advanced raiton ninjutsu for jounins. When Naruto read such title, he looked at his father with fire in his eyes. Minato knew how much his son was eager to learn more every day and to have the opportunity of seeing his son smiling; Minato would buy as many books as possible just for his son to smile at him. "Naruto, just remember that raiton is a very dangerous element, if not treated with care. Although it's one of your affinities, one wrong application and your body can suffer some serious damages" – Said Minato, receiving a nod from Kushina. "Your father is right, Naruto-kun. I remembered once Kakashi being at the hospital after one failed attempt on creating his **raikiri **(lightning edge). His chakra coils were damaged and it took a little while to heal. Just promise me you'll take it easy while trying more advanced forms of raiton manifestation" – Asked Kushina to which Naruto smiled and nodded, assuring his mother that he would be careful.

"Tou-san, I was thinking about maybe later try mastering another element, what do you think?" – Asked Naruto, earning a surprised look from Minato. "What's the rush Naruto-kun? To be a jounin, you only need two elements mastery, why are you interested in mastering a third?" – Asked Minato to which Naruto smiled and responded. "While fuuton and raiton are quite strong and handy during a fight, I want to be able to cover any weakness regarding elemental manipulation. You see, so far I have fuuton and raiton, however should I fight someone with a fire affinity; I would be in serious disadvantage. That being said, if I could manage to master either one of the other elements, I could at least defend myself better. Doton can repel fire with some mud jutsus; suiton is stronger than katon and katon itself repels katon. I just want to cover any possible attacks so as not to be caught by surprise" – Explained Naruto before receiving a smile and a nod from his parents.

"I can't argue with your logic here Naruto-kun. However, learning a third element in itself is hard enough. As to the elements, doton and suiton aren't hard to master, however Katon is. Also, just as raiton, most katon ninjutsu can do some serious damage to your body. Also, a lot of katon attacks utilize the air in your lungs to be effective; hence you will be in danger of burning your throat if the molding isn't correct. I don't know which one you could master, sorry. I, myself, am a raiton user and katon is my second mastery, you should see which one suits better your fighting style and go from that. It's no good to learn something; you can't find the uses for such a thing" – Said Minato to which Naruto nodded and got up from the table. "Well, I have to pick some clothes and supplies for the trip, so I'll be heading up stairs" – Said Naruto to which Minato nodded, but stopped his son for one more word. "Naruto, about your first mission; my instincts are telling me that Wave Country will soon be in turmoil. The business man our client mentioned happen to have links with several criminal organizations and have sufficient funds to hire any level of missing-nin he wants. Be on your guard and try not fighting someone you know you can't beat or least be on par with. Leave such enemies to Anko-san" – Said Minato.

"I understand, father. I'll think about the third element, thanks" – Shouted Naruto before going to his room to seal some supplies into the scroll. After some time, he came back downstairs to say goodbye to his parents and that he will do everything in his power to be around when Misao is born. Kushina kissed her son and wished him good luck while Minato gave his son a thumbs up in confidence to which Naruto returned with the same gesture and left the household. After leaving, he was surprised to see an Anbu waiting for him outside, but quickly knew who it was. "I heard you're promoted to chunnin, Naruto-kun. Congratulations" – Said Yuugao to which Naruto nodded and went over to the Anbu member. "Yuugao-chan, I wish I could stay with you, however I will be gone for three whole months and…" – Said Naruto but was interrupted by the woman who took away her mask and kissed the blond fiercely. After they broke the kissing, Yuugao returned the mask. "You don't have to apologize for going out on missions Naruto-kun; it's our job as shinobi. I'll be waiting eagerly for your return" – Said Yuugao before vanishing.

Naruto for his part smiled at his new girlfriend and continued to walk towards his team's rendezvous point towards Wave Country. However, seeing that he still had a little time to arrive at the west gate, he took a little detour in order to see someone. After a while of walking and following the sense of smoke in the air, Naruto reached the place where Asuma was located. Upon arrival, he was surprised to see Shikamaru and two other genins with the man, doing some training. Approaching the man, both smiled upon seeing each other and Asuma stopped the training, earning silent thanks from Shikamaru and a scream in protest from the blonde girl. Shikamaru was, however, rather happy to see his shougi partner and decided to greet Naruto. "Naruto-sempai, it's great to see you again" – Said Shikamaru, earning surprised looks from the blond in question from the suffix added to his name. After the blonde girl asked Shikamaru how he knew Naruto, Shikamaru responded. "Troublesome Ino, Naruto-sempai was the one who fought at the chunnin finals against Hyuuga Neji, Hinata's cousin" – Said Shikamaru.

"I see you picked a genin team Asuma-sensei" – Said Naruto to which everyone were surprised at the suffix. Asuma for his part chose to elaborate because of the looks. "I trained Naruto for the chunnin finals. Actually, he adopted my trench knifes fighting style. By the way, what do I owe the visit Naruto?" – Asked Asuma to which the blond smiled and responded. "I was wondering if you happen to have some advanced katas regarding the trench knifes style, I'll be out of the villages for a couple of missions, so I'll have to find something for training and Anko-sensei is not proficient enough to teach me some new moves" – Said Naruto to which Asuma smiled and picked up a scroll from his vest. "I was actually writing everything I know about the style, here take my notes and study them. When you come back, I'll see if you manage the new katas and maybe we can discuss some new moves to add to it. I'll be adding this style to Konoha's library and I thought you could co-author it. Both of us are some of the only fuuton masters in Konoha, but I believe that maybe future ninjas would want to learn even it isn't their affinity" – Said Asuma to which Naruto nodded and appreciated the scroll.

However when he turned to leave and say goodbye to Shikamaru, he came up with a strange sight. The blonde girl was now fixating her eyes on him in a rather strange way and he wasn't comfortable with it. Upon looking at Shikamaru for an explanation, the lazy Nara just shrugged it off and silently told him that this Ino person was a fan girl. Sighing in defeat from meeting some of his own time, he understood Shikamaru's body language and vanished. Ino, after realizing that Shikamaru was actually talking with the gorgeous blond, she screamed. "Shika, you seem to know Naruto-kun a lot, can you introduce us?" – Asked Ino to which Shikamaru snorted at having to deal with this kind of situation. "Naruto-sempai's mother is very closed to my mother, so he came by often to play some shougi with me while telling me some stuff. As to the introduction topic, I don't think Naruto would be interested in you" – Said Shikamaru, earning an astonished look from Ino, a drop of cigarette from Asuma and a dropping the chips Chouji.

"Why do you say such a thing? I'm the most beautiful genin in Konoha. How can he not be interested in me?" – Asked Ino before hearing Shikamaru mutters the word troublesome and proceeded to explain. "Naruto-sempai is currently dating an Anbu kunoichi, her name though he didn't say for her secret identity. Naruto told me that she is one of the best kenjutsu fighter in Konoha and very beautiful one as well. So you see Ino, he wouldn't be interested in you" – Said Shikamaru to which Ino looked at him in surprise over learning that Naruto was dating an Anbu kunoichi. Asuma for his part smiled upon seeing that Naruto did manage to date Yuugao after all, but he would be damned if he said her name in front of Ino. "Alright team, let's continue with training.

* * *

**---At the west gate---**

Upon arrival, Naruto was surprised to see that he was the last to arrive, however he knew he wasn't late so he wouldn't be attacked by one of Anko's snakes. The team, upon seeing their fourth member arrives, smiled and got up so as to head to Wave Country. Anko approached the merchant. "Okay Mitokado-san, now that our forth member has arrived, we can proceed our trip" – Said Anko to which the man nodded and got up from the tree log he was seating. "Okay then, let's go. My home is two days waking from Konoha" – Said the man to which the team rounded up around him with Neji in front because of the byakugan while Naruto and Tenten was on each side of the man. Anko this time chose to stay close behind in order to guard the rear.


	13. Chunnin days

**Chapter 13 – Chunnin days**

Team Anko was walking calmly towards Wave Country; although all of them were alerted in case of an eventual attack. A few minutes after leaving Konoha, the group encountered a group of bandits that were trying to keep Mitokado from reaching Wave Country. Needless to say the team handled all the bandits with Tenten and Naruto using their weapons and Neji taking the ones who decided to run away. Naruto remembered his father's words about Wave being in turmoil right now and expressed it to the group. Mitokado eventually said that Gato was ruthless and wouldn't stop at nothing to reach his goals.

Therefore, the group now walked around Mitokado with Neji in the back, Anko up front and the rest on both sides. Neji was scouting the place with byakugan while Anko sent some snakes to take care of some enemies up front. After a while, the group stopped for a while and rested. Anko sighed since she wouldn't be have time to teach anything seeing that this mission required full attention to their surroundings. Neji, Naruto and Tenten, on the other hand, took the opportunity and each one grabbed a book from a scroll. Naruto took his father's raiton book; Neji began to read Advanced Jyuuken from Hizashi and Tenten was reading about Katon ninjutsu. Upon seeing this, Anko smiled seeing that although they wouldn't be able to practice, at least the theory could be taken care of.

Mitokado also smiled and became fascinated with this children's drive for knowledge even in the middle of a mission. A while later and a few miles, Anko decided that it was time to end the day. Being the jounin in charge of the mission, Anko assigned Naruto for the first round and then Neji since both of them could scout the area better than everyone. Naruto with his kage bunshins could scout the area and dispel so that Naruto gets the information while Neji would use his byakugan every once in a while. Summoning four of his kage bunshins, Naruto sit in a tree log and this time fetched the twin knife style scroll that Asuma handed to him.

The blond was ecstatic about having the opportunity of co-authoring a martial arts style and he vowed to help Asuma-sensei in whatever needs he has regarding new katas for this move. As he was passing through the lines, Naruto was amazed by the bearded man's creativity. So far, the twin knife style focused on full contact with the opponent, however according to the scrolls, they were certain combos that combines full contact kenjutsu with some mid-range jutsus, thus creating very effective combos. Naruto was also surprised that Asuma managed to create a defense shield made by a combination of channeling fuuton chakra through both knifes and making a full rotation, thus creating a little hurricane around you. The catch was that while spinning, Naruto had to expel fuuton chakra from his body, thus forming the little hurricane by spinning.

Naruto was so caught up to his book that he didn't even knew it was the end of his shift and that Neji was practically screaming to get his attention. "Naruto…your shift is over, now I'll take over" – Said Neji to which Naruto smiled and jumped down from the tree. Dispelling the clones and letting the information sink in, Naruto smiled and turned to Neji. "Thanks Neji. I'm going to get some sleep" – Mumbled Naruto as he went towards the shack that Neji was in before Neji called him. "Is that something out there that requires more attention?" – Asked Neji to which Naruto shrugged it off and replied. "There was some movement to the left but that was just some squirrels. Other than that, I didn't see much" – Said Naruto, earning a nod from Neji who jumped on top of the tree and sit there comfortably.

* * *

**---Next day---**

After waking up and some breakfast, the group continued their journey to Wave Country. Mitokado warned them that as they approached the place, more bandits would appear and there was a chance that dangerous ninja would appear as well. However even before the group could acknowledge such a warning, a couple of kunais came charging against the group in high speeds. Neji suddenly appeared in front of the group and started his ultimate defense "**Kaiten"**. While Neji was taking care of the kunais, Naruto and co. were gauging their opponents.

"Enemies all around us, Naruto summon some kage bunshins to protect the client and then take out as many as you can. Neji, are there any ninja among the group?" – Asked Anko as Naruto nodded and then charged the group of bandits behind him with a new jutsu he learned from his father's book. "**Raiton Denkougun **(Lightning Release: Lightning Force)" – Shouted Naruto before arcing bolts of electricity from his both hands, shocking three bandits at once. Immediately, some of the bandits backed off a little bit, but Naruto wouldn't let them and charged all of them with his twin knifes, thus taking care of them.

Neji screamed the presence of a few chunnin level missing-nins and Anko summoned him and Tenten to take care of the low level ones. She stayed with one who seemed to be the stronger among the group. Meanwhile, Naruto's kage bunshins managed to protect Mitokado from some bandits that felt brave enough to attempt. Back to Anko, she was looking intently at the mark behind the huge cross and managed to learn that the man was from Iwa, thus meaning not a very good sign for Naruto. "So, let's see what Konoha has to offer beside good looks?" – Asked the missing-nin to which Anko just smiled sadistically and summoned some snakes to deal with the man before seeing him dissolving into Mud.

"Damn, a Tsuchi Bunshin, where is he?" – Asked Anko, while checking the place to see the man's whereabouts as well as check how her team was fairing. Naruto finished with his share of bandits and was already heading to help Neji and Tenten with their share. Suddenly, the man sneaked behind Anko and threatened to cut her neck with a kunai. The man was laughing with the thought of getting his way with Anko until suddenly he saw some movement inside her trench coat. Sadly for him, though, he wasn't prepared as a viper emerged and bit him in the neck, releasing the venom inside his veins.

Stumbling backwards and holding his hands from the wound, he screamed in fury at Anko who by now had a smile that even Orochimaru would be scared. "It's not nice to get behind me so vicious like that. Now, I'm caught in a dilemma. I can either let the venom kill every cell in your body or I could just end your misery with this kunai in my hand, could you help me decide?" – Asked Anko while licking her kunai. The man would've pissed himself if the venom wasn't making such a mess inside the man's veins. Anko, however, pointed seeing the man apparently lost the ability to speak so she opted to end his misery by sticking the kunai at the man's heart.

Getting satisfied, she turned to her team only to see Neji using his 64 chakra strikes on a low-level chunnin and Tenten to exhale a big fireball at a group of bandits. Naruto for his part dispelled the kage bunshins and then went to check on the client to see if he was alright. After him, Anko and the rest of the team joined and sit a while to rest. Anko already placed the missing-nin's body inside a scroll and sent back to Konoha for analysis.

After a little rest and an inquiry at Naruto regarding his new jutsu to which he replied by saying that he found it in his book on advanced manipulation. According to him, the user must focus on the flow of raiton chakra and imagine said flow coming off his hands. This way, he could manipulate raiton chakra and with more practice, he could control it after releasing the energy. Needless to say his team and even Mitokado were impressed and Anko vowed to see more of this technique in the future. "Okay, team according to Mitokado here, we're not long from our destination. Being that said, we won't rest until we reach his place" – Said Anko before turning and continuing her way towards Wave Country.

Following the leader and backing the client, Neji and Tenten were discussing about the new technique and Neji was wondering if the kaiten was enough to block the bolts of electricity. To his relieve, Naruto said that although the techniques seems powerful, the amount of volts couldn't compare with the technique that he's attempting called **Raiton Ikazuki Butoukai Hou no Jutsu **(Lightning Style: Thunder ball cannon Jutsu). Upon hearing this, Neji looked at the blond while remembering the attack that he used against the kaiten at the chunnin exams.

Catching his wondering look, Naruto smiled and told Neji that the one used at the chunnin exams was an improvised jutsu since he couldn't do the original one yet. He explained that the original was shot as cannon instead of using fuuton ninjutsu to control the lightning sphere. Upon hearing this, Neji didn't want to hear more about it and hoped that the blond wouldn't use it against him.

A few hours later, the group arrived at Wave Country by a boat that was waiting for the client. The boat took the group to his house and Mitokado said his thanks for the group for protecting him with such effort. Anko, however, asked him of what supposed to be their last mission and Mitokado smiled before entering the house and picking up a document. Handling to Anko, Mitokado said that said document was meant to be delivered to an engineer named Tazuna who lived a few miles far from Mitokado's house. However, the man wanted to do something in return for the team and offered them to stay in and sleep for tomorrow. Anko was hesitant to take the offer but after some whining from her team, she accepted with a smile and the team appreciated it.

Upon inside, the team split up in two rooms with Neji and Naruto in one and the girls on the other one. The group changed their attire and relaxed with a hot shower. Neji and Tenten went soon to bed from feeling tired, but Naruto stayed at the living room reading Asuma's scroll and also writing some of his ideas regarding one of the scroll's techniques. Anko just got out of the kitchen and saw her apprentice studying with a smile on his face, thus making her smile as well. Approaching the blond wearing some casual cloths, Anko asked about what he was reading. Naruto at first wondered how his sensei was so relaxed with herself but shrugged it off and said. "Oh this is a scroll of the twin knife style that Asuma-sensei created. He handed it to me so that I could learn some more advanced moves" – Said Naruto while looking at a strangely smiling Anko.

"You miss her, don't you?" – Asked Anko while smiling deeply at her student. Naruto, upon hearing this, was confused since he wasn't aware that Anko knew of his relationship with Yuugao. "Miss who, Anko-sensei?" – Asked Naruto to which Anko snorted. "Well Yuugao-chan who else? I happen to know of you two getting together, you don't have to hide this stuff from me Naruto." – Whispered Anko to which Naruto scratched the back of his head in shyness upon getting caught but then he looked at the window and turned to his sensei. "I've never imagined I would feel like this, you know? At first, we started as being rivals that used each other to get stronger. After that, we began talking sometimes and we hit the friendship barrier. Now, days before our mission, we started dating and now every time I am away, I think about what she's doing right now" – Said Naruto as he smiled deeply while still looking outside the window.

Anko, upon hearing this, smiled deeply at the boy growing up nicely. She had doubts at first that said relationship would ever work seeing that Yuugao was eight years ahead of him. However, since Yuugao only focused on becoming a strong kunoichi, she didn't focus much on her feminine side, thus being on the same spot as Naruto who began to explore the whole dating experience. "I see much of Iruka-kun in you Naruto. Please do not lose this side of yours. As you grow up, you'll be more and more submitted to temptation. Take Kakashi's damn books for an example. Also I believe you met Jiraya, the creator of the book. Jiraya will, no doubt, try to influence you negatively, don't let him, okay?" – Asked Anko to which Naruto nodded.

"Don't worry Anko-sensei. Both Kakashi and Jiraya wouldn't even try anything simply because either my mother or Yuugao-chan would tear them apart. In fact, my mother was the one responsible for sending Jiraya to the hospital just because he wanted my father to read some of his 'work'. Trust me, he wouldn't dare thinking about it" – Laughed Naruto to which Anko nodded and wished him a good-night sleep. "I'll go to bed Naruto. Don't stay up so late, okay. As you may or may not know, Wave is not the safest place to be right now and maybe we'll have to face more opponents" – Said Anko, clearly worried that maybe jounins would appear and she would be in trouble trying to protect her team and her as well.

Nonetheless, Anko was surprised to see that Naruto inherited his father's reassuring smile before saying that with the byakugan, they could avoid the tougher opponents thus not endangering the mission nor the well-being of their comrades. Anko smiled at the boy's assumption, but thought about telling him some piece of good advice. "I guess you're right. But please remember this Naruto. There will be times in a shinobi's life that he or she will have others under his or her care. Try to remember that in case we have to face jounins, no matter what, stick together with Tenten and Neji. Individually, you're still no match against jounins, but together you can surely overwhelm the enemy. I'll have this talk with the others but please do not try to face such enemies alone" – Said Anko to which Naruto nodded now with a serious face and then telling Anko good-night as well.

After Anko went upstairs, Naruto formed a little lightning ball and stared at it for a while. He knew that what Anko told him was nothing far from the truth. His team was formed by recent promoted chunnins, thus without any experience with tougher opponents. Suddenly, he remembered his life-time goal that was to be able to protect the ones he holds dear in his heart. Closing his eyes, he focused on his goal to become stronger in time and be able to achieve his goal. Upstairs, he was being watched by his sensei who was smiling upon seeing that the blond handled said information very maturely. She was having problems wondering how she would relate said knowledge to her team and she took the chance and just let all out. Fortunately, one of the group already got the picture and Anko knew that Neji and Tenten would handle just as good.

* * *

**---Next day---**

The next day, Anko and co. appreciate their stay to Mitokado and assured him that the document would be delivered to Tazuna. Once again appreciating for the immense help Konoha was providing to Wave Country, Mitokado said that he would contact Konoha for further services in the future. Bowing in respect, the team then, transformed into simple blurs and disappeared from the man's view.

The team was now standing on top of some trees and studying the country's map for guidance. Anko already had the talk with Neji and Tenten about sticking together no matter what and she was happy to see that like Naruto, the two understood the idea nicely. Now, seeing that they didn't need to walk because of the client, Anko's team charged towards Tazuna's residence with great speed. Not even wasting time on resting, Konoha's team arrived at Tazuna's place before handing Mitokado's document to the man. After reading, the man smiled and looked at the team in front of him.

"Well, I guess Mitokado-san had a safe trip. That's wonderful, now the bridge will take less time to finish. Mitokado-san is our construction supplier and according to the document, he told that the material needed to bridge's construction was located not so far away from here" – Said Tazuna to which Anko nodded. "Well, my team here will be providing coverage for you and your men so that you can be able to retrieve the supplies. The blond beside me is Namikaze Naruto, following by Hyuuga Neji and Tenten" – Said Anko, making Tazuna go wide-eyed at the mention of the Namikaze name.

"Wow, you're the Yondaime's son, aren't you kid?" – Asked Tazuna, getting an annoyed look from said blond upon once again being referred by being his father's son instead of just him. However, seeing that the man didn't know and also the fact that the man was a client, he ignored and simply nodded with his head. "Well, my men will be departing tomorrow to get the supplies so why don't you all get inside and…" – Said Tazuna before seeing the one known as Hyuuga Neji, suddenly pop some veins near his eyes and turn to Anko. "Anko-sensei, we got company. Two chunnins followed us here and are approaching said place" – Said Neji scaring the shit out of Tazuna who worried about his family above all things.

Anko transforming into jounin in charge of the mission, issued some defensive maneuver and get ready for the attack. She also said that these two should be taken care of so that they can't tell anyone of our location. Suddenly, two kiri missing-nins appeared and challenged Konoha's team. "If all of you value your lives, you'll hand that old man to us right now and we won't attack either of you" – Said one of the missing-nins as he got into a fighting stance. However, they were surprised when Tenten snorted. "No fair. Why it always Naruto who have the advantage? I wanted to fight as well" – Snorted Tenten, earning sweat-drops from everyone including the enemies. Naruto for his part, smiled at his teammate. "Normally, I would have. But we're not sure of their powers yet Tenten" – Said Naruto to which Tenten snorted once again and chose to whine once more to which Anko concluded that she would have a little word with the girl afterwards.

Because of the little show, none of the chunnins realized that Neji got behind them and was able to immobilize one of them with jyuuken. The other jumped while trying to avoid Neji's second attack, but somehow found out that by doing this, he was doomed. True to his fears, Naruto appeared behind him and with a raiton induced punch, Naruto managed to take the man down. After the last one fell unconscious, Anko appeared and gave both the missing-nins, paralyzing venom that only she had the cure for and then sealed both of them inside a scroll. "Although I applaud the team for the cunning and yet devious plan, all three of you took a high gamble. However, seeing as the plan worked, I'll drop this but in the future, try letting me know first, okay?" – Asked Anko to which all three nodded and then turned to Tazuna.

"Sorry for that Tazuna-san. Now, shall we proceed with the search; for the looks of it, it won't take long until more enemies appear, so we'll have to be ready for them" – Said Anko before seeing Tazuna nodding and then walk towards where he would meet with his group and then gather the needed material for the next part of the bridge's construction. A little while later, everyone returned with the gathered material and Tazuna thanked kami no one dared to attack his group this time. Whether it was because of the Konoha ninjas or just circumstance, he wasn't sure. As to Anko's team, all of them were kind of anxious to some fighting, but left that behind seeing that they still had ten more missions to be performing before returning to Konoha. Tazuna set Anko aside to pay her for the mission and then the group travelled on different ways.

"Ok, team. We're good so far. We managed to complete all three of the first ones. Now we will be heading to Bird Country. Let's go, I'll explain as we travel and we can stop for some practice since we weren't able to do that so far" – Said Anko to which the group nodded and then all of them vanished towards the place where the boat would take them to Fire Country. However, when the boat was visible, Neji warned all of them to scramble and the group evaded hundreds of shuriken that went flying above them. When they turned to face their opponents, Anko visibly stiffened. Although they were all chunnin level missing-nins from Kiri, her team was outnumbered by two to one and that was definitely a bad thing. She could take care of two of them easily, but she wasn't sure if the rest of the team could face two chunnins and win.

"Dammit, we are outnumbered and with no possibility to escape. We'll have to fight. I'll take two of them with me and the rest of you focus on the next six. Remember what I said about sticking together no matter what. Also, you three happen to have some high level long-range ninjutsu. Resort to them and even out the numbers, and then you can fight them" – Ushered Anko before she scattered and two of the enemies followed her because of her level and the fact that they assume the rest of the team wouldn't be much trouble.

Six confident kiri missing-nins against three apprehensive Konoha nins. Naruto, Tenten and Neji were actually used to fighting big numbers like this, however all their fights were against genins and bandits. Chunnins, on the other hand, was another thing entirely. Instantly, all three of them started studying their opponents and began with the presumptions. First of all, they were all from Kiri, so it was safe to say that they had at least suiton abilities, therefore Naruto and Neji would be the best suited to deal with them, however, seeing as all of them carried swords, Tenten was the best one suited for close-ranged fights. Anko told the group about adding poison to weapons for deadlier attacks so all of them were very cautions and were thinking of fighting all of them in middle to long-range, at least until they could even the numbers and fight one on one.

* * *

**---With Anko---**

After running for a bit and then stopped in a clearing, Anko eyed her two opponents cautiously. Even though she was jounin level ninja, it didn't take much to kill her, after all a kunai imbedded into the heart can kill anyone, being an academy student or a kage level ninja. Slowly, Anko kneeled down and summoned two vipers and then turned to hide and wait for the appropriate time in order to attack them when they are unprepared. "I was wondering if you guys are on a rush and maybe we can chat a little bit" – Asked Anko to which one of them snickered. "Huh, why bother? You'll be killed by us anyway" – Snorted the man before he saw the woman smiling her trademark smile and suddenly he was suddenly aware of any traps that she could have planned beforehand.

Suddenly, the two men were caught by surprise when two snakes jumped from the ground and bit their necks so fast that they didn't even seen it until it was too late.

While both kiri missing-nins were fighting their will to live, Anko was wondering if her plan backfired somehow. She thought that if she separated from the group, she would be followed by strong enemies, yet these fools didn't even bother to see the snakes crawling up to them. Now, she was more than worried for her team, simply because the strong ones must have stayed behind and now were attacking her team. Snarling in frustration that her plan didn't work, Anko sped up to help her team against the other opponents.

* * *

**---With Naruto, Tenten and Neji---**

Forming a triangle defense, the chunnins were holding as much as they could against the many water bullets that were thrown from their enemies. Naruto was tearing most of them apart with his fuuton charged knifes; Neji was using all his reflexes and jyuuken strikes while Tenten was using two wakizashis. At first, the battle was even if each Konoha-nin taking two kiri missing-nins. However, one of the enemies moved to attack Tenten from behind and Neji saved her by performing a kaiten. Also because of Neji leaving his two enemies, they started attacking him from other direction and Naruto had to intervene, thus obligating them to make a triangle defense and block all the incoming water bullets.

"Shit, it won't take long for fatigue to arrive. We have to think of something" – Shouted Naruto as he increased his pace in order to take out as many water bullets as possible. Neji and Tenten nodded while increasing them as well. Neji, however, widened his eyes upon having an idea that could work. "Naruto, Tenten! I managed to see that they take turns in attacking us. Keep up the defense and when I tell both you, scatter and attack as much as you can. They'll attack me so I'll use kaiten and block them all. Both of you must take out at least four of them. After this kaiten, I won't have enough chakra, so you'll have to even them and fight one on one" – Said Neji to which Naruto and Tenten looked at one another and nodded.

"We're ready when you are Neji" – Said Tenten to which Neji smiled and the team parried the last incoming bullets. "NOW!!!" – Shouted Neji as Naruto and Tenten separated from him just in time to miss the next round of bullets and see Neji perform the heavenly spin. After seeing his opportunity arise, Naruto quickly did some hand seals for **Fuuton Baisuu Kaze no Yaiba **(Wind Release: Multiple Wind Swords Jutsu). Tenten also did some hand seals for **Katon Housenka no Jutsu **(Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu). Suddenly, Naruto's wind swords and Tenten's fireballs fused and by result, huge fireballs attacked the enemies head on which managed to take all of the opponents.

However, just when Naruto and Tenten used the time to breath, both of them heard one of them shouting **Suiton Suijinheki no Jutsu **(Water Release: Water Encampment Jutsu), thus blocking the incoming projectile. After the water died, Naruto and Tenten became face to face against who appeared to be strongest of the group. "That was some attack you two made. Too bad my allies weren't fast enough to use a defensive jutsu. Well, I guess I'll eliminate you all and then receive all the money" – Said the leader, earning a snarl from Naruto and Tenten.

"Tenten, go see how Neji is doing; I'll keep up with this guy until Anko-sensei arrives" – Said Naruto to which Tenten at first objected, but after seeing Neji on the ground, she didn't hesitate and went to check how he was doing, thus leaving Naruto alone with the man. "It's quite foolish to fight me alone kid. Cockiness is what get many rookies to die. However, since I'm only here for the money, guess it'll be a walk in the park. After I take care of you, I'll kill your little friends and bring their heads to Gatou" – Said the man, earning another grumbling from Naruto who was already equipped with his twin knifes.

Meanwhile, Tenten was treating to some of Neji's wounds that were caused by a few water bullets that managed to pass through the group's defense. Also was the fact that the Hyuuga was unconscious from chakra exhaustion. Tenten and Naruto also had some bruises here and then, but Neji took the most of the hits, so it would take longer to heal. Back to Naruto, he got into his style's position of fighting and eyed his opponent with care. Until now, the only thing Naruto knows about this guy was that he has knowledge in high level suiton ninjutsu, so he considered using more raiton jutsus to eliminate the guy. Even though suiton aren't weak against raiton jutsu, water conducts electricity, so Naruto's jutsus would be more potent than his enemy's.

When the man, suddenly, took his sword and got into position, Naruto smiled at his experience in fighting against enemies who uses both kenjutsu and suiton ninjutsu, in other words, Yuugao. Even though he was certain that Yuugao went easy on him simply because she was a jounin and he was just now promoted to chunnin, Naruto was certain he could beat the man if he focused hard enough. "Let's see if your fighting skills are any good compared to your ninjutsu" – Said the man before charging with high speed against the blond who in turn used both his knifes to block the sword blow.

After the hit, the man wondered why Naruto's knifes didn't break upon impact since he put all his strength in that attack. Naruto, however, took the opportunity and pushed the man backwards before swinging his left knife vertically, thus making a deep cut at the man's chest. "Very impressive, indeed; channeling fuuton chakra to your knifes, thus being able to send a kind of wind cutter at the opponent. However, now that I know of your little trick, I'll be more cautious. You won't touch me again" – Said the man before jumping back and doing some hand signals. "**Suiton Suigadan no Jutsu **(Water Release: Water Fang Jutsu)". After that, a fast torrent of water charged against Naruto who in turn channeled chakra to his legs and jumped barely avoiding the technique.

Not one to waist opportunities, the man attacked Naruto with his sword, apparently cutting the blond in half. However, much to the shock of his opponent and Tenten's relief, instead of Naruto, a log was sliced in half. Snarling at being cheated by an academy jutsu, he turned left to where Naruto was standing, only to see the blond making a quick succession of hand signs. **Raiton Denkougun **(Lightning Release: Lightning Force Jutsu). With that, Naruto extended both his hands and started frying the man's system. This was the scene that Anko saw after landing near Naruto.

Anko heard the man shouting and looked at Naruto concentrating on making the technique right. After a few seconds of screaming, the man's voice died and no one could hear the death shouts and begs of mercy coming from the kiri missing-nin. Anko, knowing that it was enough, landed her hands on Naruto's shoulder and asked him to stop now. The blonde hesitated a little bit but stopped, scaring Anko a little bit, seeing that normally Naruto wouldn't be this aggressive and vowed to ask him what happened later. Naruto for his part went up to Neji who have just woken up.

Meanwhile, Anko saw the six missing-nins on the ground, dead and wondered if Naruto killed them all. "Tenten, come here a second" – Said Anko to which Tenten nodded and left Neji with Naruto while she went near her sensei. "What's up sensei?" – Asked Tenten to which Anko turned from checking on the blond and then turned to see her student. "Tell me what happened, did Naruto kill all of them?" – Asked Anko suspicious to which Tenten moved her head sideways and explained what happened. She told Anko about getting cornered by the enemies and Neji's plan, then she told about her jutsu fusing with Naruto, thus creating a deadly attack and last she told about Naruto's fight with the strongest of them.

Anko was satisfied with the answer for now but she still wanted to ask Naruto. Seeing Naruto angry was the same thing as seeing Jiraya letting go of his research. After the group attended to Neji's wounds, Anko sent a message to Konoha in order to collect some missing-nins and then return them to Kiri. Minato sent her a reply, saying that a team of Anbu would arrive in an hour to capture them so the team waited.

An hour later, Anko was surprised when Kakashi and Yuugao arrived together with two more Anbus. Being the leader, Kakashi accepted the scrolls with the other missing-nins and another scroll with the last six of them. Anko summoned Kakashi and Yuugao to tell about what Naruto did and Kakashi was wide-eyed. He knew of what jutsu Naruto used and he also knew that it was considered a kinjutsu in Kumo. "Anko, I don't know how Naruto learned that jutsu. It was labeled as a kinjutsu from Kumo two years ago. Upon using, Naruto sends against his opponents, thousands and thousands of bolts literally frying the man's inner organs; also, in order to attempt this jutsu, the user must be having negative emotions like angry or even revolted" – Said Kakashi, scaring Anko a little bit.

"I'll talk to him. It's clear that the enemy said something to him and he reacted negatively. I'll talk to him; I'm not sure if he'd stop using it, since it's only forbidden in Kumo. I'm pretty sure, however, that he wouldn't use it if his comrades were being attacked or something. He is very protective of Neji and Tenten, they grew up together after all" – Said Anko while looking at said blond who in turn was talking with the Hyuuga.

Yuugao for her part, thought of approaching Naruto and ask what happened, but thought against it. The thought of Naruto getting angry at something was almost impossible to happen, so for him to be mad about something it was because something really serious happened. Kakashi, for his part, chose to change the subject. "So Anko, I heard that your team will be on the road for a few months, how is it going so far?" – Asked Kakashi to which Anko nodded and replied. "So far so good; I couldn't have asked for a better team. All three of them watch each other's backs and the way they communicate with each other is flawless. So far we managed to complete two B ranked missions and a C one. Right now, we're heading to Bird Country and present ourselves to their Daimyou for the next role of missions" – Said Anko clearly excited with her team.

Yuugao and Kakashi smiled at said girl's enthusiasm and then said their goodbyes; however Kakashi became serious and turned to Anko. "Now I remembered that sensei had a book of high level raiton ninjutsu and if I recall, Naruto's jutsu wasn't considered a kinjutsu when the book was published. However, he must understand that raiton manipulation requires some deep concentration. While I'm surprised that he managed to learn this jutsu, if by chance the jutsu was wrong, it would backfire and he would be in a lot of trouble. Just tell him to focus on pure lightning manipulation for now so that this doesn't happen to him. He'll understand what it means" – Said Kakashi before Anko nodded and he addressed his team to leave.

After the Anbu team left, Anko appeared near the group and motioned them to go towards the boat so that they could cross the border and land in Fire Country. Right after docking on Fire Country's soil, the team settled down for the night. Anko would take the first watch and then Tenten would be next. Neji thanked Kami that he would get the time to rest while Naruto was strangely silent. Getting comfortable on top of a tree log, Anko was looking at the sky not doing much when she spotted the blond leaving his tent and then approach the fireplace.

Anko noted that Naruto was deep in thought so she decided to wait for him to acknowledge her presence before asking what happened. True to her word, Naruto looked at his sensei and then Anko asked what happened that made him get angry. Naruto sighed and explained that the man threatened to kill his teammates and then send their heads to Gatou. Naruto also explained about the anger issue in order to perform the jutsu and then told Anko that he was ashamed in killing said man even though he had won the battle. Anko now knew what happened and smiled at Naruto.

"Naruto, even though you kind of over did it, you had your reasons to do so. The man did threaten your comrades and Neji was unconscious. However, I know something about raiton jutsu to the point of knowing of its side effects in case the jutsu backfires. How about we focus more on element manipulation rather than learning new jutsus for a while? That way you don't have to worry about the jutsu backfiring and end up frying you instead" – Said Anko to which Naruto smiled, albeit a fake one. Even though Anko smoothed the situation a bit, Naruto knew what happened. A ninja can't let his emotions rule his judgment and the way Naruto acted, he was more like a berserker than anything. The blond said his goodnight to Anko and silently vowed to control his emotions better.

Once inside the tent, Naruto was going over his fight with the man. He of course, felt ashamed for losing to his emotions. However, he remembered about the choice of element the man used. Suiton was a nice element to learn and not so though to learn, he thought. However, he would only study the subject once he returned to Konoha. For now, he needed to upgrade his raiton manipulation, so as to be on par with his fuuton abilitiy.

* * *

**---Next day---**

After the sun rose, Anko left her tent but was surprised when she was the last one to wake up. Tenten was cooking something while Naruto was reading his raiton book and Neji was studying his father's jyuuken style of fighting. "Alright gang, we'll a little bit behind schedule. We need to arrive in Bird Country in two days from today. We're lucky, though, that only a day is needed if we travel faster and without rest. Now, we'll use this day for training. I will teach Neji and Tenten, one elemental jutsu each and you two will use this day for practice. If by chance, you manage to master it, we'll end the day with physical workout. Naruto, you'll be with me the whole day. You and I will focus on your speed and improving your raiton manipulation" – Said Anko to which all three nodded and gathered close to Anko as ordered.

"First, you Tenten; the jutsu I'll be teaching you is called **Katon Haisekishou **(Fire Release: Burning Ash Accumulation Jutsu). This one was created by Sarutobi Asuma and was this very technique responsible for his promotion to jounin. In order for this technique to work, the ninja must exhale ash from his mouth which will form a black cloud. After the cloud envelops the intended target, you have to click your teeth, thus igniting the cloud in an explosion. I'll first teach you how to expel ash in a sec. Neji, your technique is called **Doton Retsudo Tenshou **(Earth Release: Revolving Split Earth Palm Jutsu). This technique allows you to control nearby stone and rock in order to create a trap or even imprison someone. As Tenten, I'll explain the technique. Naruto, begin with some light movements and I'll be with you shortly" – Said Anko to which Naruto nodded and then summoned one kage bunshin.

While Naruto was doing some light sparring with his clone, Anko was explaining the theory behind both jutsus and then performing it to them. Unlike Neji, however, Tenten had to figure out the necessary chakra manipulation since she didn't have the byakugan to study Anko's chakra being molded. "Ok, you two, go practice it and after I'm done with Naruto, I'll check on you" – Said Anko to which both nodded and then Tenten turned to Neji.

"Neji, uh, why Anko-sensei focus only on stamina and taijutsu with Naruto? Surely, she could teach some ninjutsu as well" – Asked Tenten to which Neji looked at her. "Naruto's affinities are fuuton and raiton and while they are extremely powerful, it's rare to have someone in Konoha who could teach him said jutsus. Anko-sensei has knowledge related to our affinities, so she can teach us ninjutsu. Don't worry, though, about him. Naruto's ninjutsu is like second nature to him. Naruto has been practicing fuuton ninjutsu since he was six years old, I think and raiton he was eleven. Therefore, Anko-sensei is focusing on his physical strength so that when push comes to shove or when he's out of chakra, taijutsu could very well be his salvation" – Explained Neji, earning a surprised nod from Tenten who wondered how many jutsus does Naruto knows.

Back to Anko, she established a sadistic training that involved Naruto not being able to move from where he is and use his knifes to break all the shurikens Anko toss at him from a distance. Surely, Naruto accepted it and went to the place where he was supposed to be. When he saw Anko only taking one shuriken of her holster, he wondered why. However, he quickly understood when after his sensei threw the projectile, she began with the hand seals for **Ninpou Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **(Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu), thus multiplicating the number of shurikens by 10. While Naruto was doing everything he could and more to break all the shurikens, Anko smiled at the better fluidity of his style. Naruto told her that Asuma was the one who created this style and would put him as co-author seeing that Naruto and Asuma were the only one who used it while fighting.

When Naruto managed to break the last one, Anko smiled and then grabbed two shurikens. "Phase 1 is done, now is phase 2. This time, instead of 10, it will be…." – Said Anko, but kept the mystery so that Naruto could figure out the actual number of shurikens he need to break. "Shit" – Shouted Naruto as the incoming projectiles pretty much doubled. Naruto knew that if Anko increased the number of shurikens, he wouldn't be able to break them all. "Okay, Naruto, you're doing well so far. This is the last phase and the number will be three times the first one, so let's see how you do it" – Said Anko as he threw three shurikens and multiplied each of them 10 times. Suddenly, Anko saw Naruto spinning fast and holding his twin knifes vertically in front of him as he rotates. Anko was wondering why the hell he didn't try to break the thirty shurikens that would certainly impale him when she heard it. "**Fuuton Gufuukiri no Jutsu**(Wind Release: Tornado Cutter Jutsu)" – Shouted Naruto as a slicing tornado formed around him and managed to break all the shurikens that approached the blond, leaving him unscathed.

Anko, after seeing the blond performing what she thought was the jyuuken with fuuton chakra, was definitely impressed. Naruto for his part caught the look of surprise displayed by his sensei and smiled. "You can thank Asuma-sensei for this one. He was the creator of this defense type jutsu" – Said Naruto to which Anko nodded before regaining conscious and looked at the blond for a while. _He only read about the technique on the scroll and this is the first time he practices it. Even if he couldn't break two of the shurikens, he seemed to perform it quite nicely. _– Thought Anko as he decided to change the training.

"Okay, Naruto. Now, we'll be doing some training with your lightning manipulation. Is there a jutsu you know that can concentrate a single target?" – Asked Anko to which Naruto nodded. "Yeah, there is one which is called **Raiton Rakurai no Jutsu **(Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Jutsu), why?" – Asked Naruto.

"Okay, I'll start throwing projectiles to anonymous directions and you'll have to strike them with this jutsu. That way, we'll upgrade your accuracy and maybe improve your element manipulation since we'll be speeding things up. We'll start with long periods between throws and then proceed with fewer periods. This way, you'll learn to use the technique without much chakra consumption and perhaps master it to the point of wasting little chakra to do it, so let's proceed. When I say 'start', you'll begin with the hand seals and when I say, 'strike', you hit the target with the jutsu" – Said Anko to which Naruto nodded and positioned his hands to initiate the hands sequence.

* * *

**---In Konoha---**

Minato was in his desk remembering about his son and his son's team. Truth be told, never in his life, had he ordered a team to do such a high number of missions. Minato was aware of the constant reports of Anko that came with kiri missing-nin corpses and knew that her team was coming along quite well. However, being a father, he couldn't shake the feeling that Naruto may be in trouble right now and he wouldn't be there to help. Minato often wondered if his son grew up too fast, but when he voiced those thoughts to his confidant, Sarutobi only laughed and said that he thought the same thing concerning Asuma when he left the village to be one of the Fire Lord's guardians. Also, Minato was worried about Kakashi's report when his Anbu team went to collect some dead missing-nins that Anko and co. left for them.

According to the copy-nin, Naruto learned from the book he took from Minato, a raiton technique that was recently labeled as a kinjutsu in Kumo. He knew about said jutsu and while he vowed to never use it, simply because of the needed state of mind, he wasn't worried about Naruto using it as well. He knew that Naruto wishes to become strong only to be able to protect the ones he care about and as a father, Minato never felt more proud in his life. Often times, Minato came across those who wished power for negative reasons and his hear would explode if Naruto ever used his power for ill intentions.

Selecting some reports to read, Minato came across one from Uchiha Mikoto stating that she and Itachi told Sasuke what happened to Uchiha Fugaku and was happy to learn that Sasuke didn't hold a grudge against his older brother from having to kill his father. Minato knew how reserved an Uchiha was and also knew that a member of that clan could easily snap and become greedy with power; quite like Fugaku was when he considered killing his wife only for him to be able to evolve his sharingan. Reading the next part of the report, Mikoto stated that she wished to become a teacher at the academy in order to give the next generation, advanced knowledge in genjutsu and even teach some ninjutsu if needed. She also told that Itachi was getting better in time and began to spend some time with Sasuke.

After reading the report, Minato smiled at the brother's interaction with each other. He wondered how Naruto would interact with Misao once she was born. _If I knew better, I believe that Naruto will become the over-protective brother to Misao, though in the long-run, it will be a wonderful thing to see both playing in the backyard – _Thought Minato as he signed the last report of the day. Being seven months pregnant, Kushina had to be at least two days a week at the hospital in order to check on how the pregnancy is evolving. Therefore, Minato was to be there and pick her up.

* * *

**---With Team Anko****---**

After training Naruto, Anko went to her other students and were flabbergasted when she noticed both performing the jutsu perfectly. She complemented both of them and ushered them to travel a bit to a village nearby and find an inn to rest at the hot springs there. Anko told them that the hot water helped ease the muscle strain and also told that she deserved a nice warm bed once in a while. Upon hearing this, the chunnins looked at her in a state of disbelief simply because she didn't need to use the hot water excuse.

Upon arrival, the team divided into female and male and each group went to the designated hot springs. Anko ushered Naruto and Neji, a nice rest and that they would join together for dinner later. Naruto and Neji were now found closing their eyes while letting the hot water ease the tension inside their bodies. However, when a school girl type giggle reached Naruto's ears, he sighed and said to Neji that he was going to the bathroom. Not even bothering to open his eyes, Neji nodded and then Naruto vanished only to appear on top of a tree log staring at a big man with white hair and caring a huge scroll on his back. "What's up Ero-sannin!!!!?" – Screamed Naruto, making said man jump in fright, ending up falling inside the woman's side of the hot springs.

Because of the noise, Anko looked up only to see every kunoichi's enemy in Konoha lying on the floor unconscious. It was no secret that Jiraya of the sannin was constantly peeping on the girls that constantly used the hot springs. However, she wondered why the hell caused the man to fall inside the woman's side of the hot springs and looked up. Looking up, she saw Naruto looking down at the man with a smile on his face and smiled in appreciation. Naruto for his part looked at Anko and smiled at her before vanishing inside a typhoon. Anko smiled once more upon seeing that Naruto's treatment to perverts and knew that Yuugao did manage to find a nice person to be with. However, she remembered that Jiraya was still inside the woman's side of the hot springs, so she decided to give the man a little beating to teach him not to do this again.

When Naruto got back, he was smiling from ear to ear and Neji didn't need to see him to conclude. "You made Jiraya-sama fall once again, didn't you?" – Asked Neji to which Naruto nodded. "Yes, I did. I can't help it, it's so funny to scare him like that. No matter how many times I do it, it's always funny" – Said Naruto to which Neji nodded, since he sometimes participated with Naruto in scaring Jiraya when he was caught peeping.

A while later, the entire team and Jiraya was having dinner together. Jiraya, upon seeing Naruto and Neji together, remembered all the times these two brats took him away from his research. "You little brats; how many times are you going to do this to me?" – Asked Jiraya to which Naruto smiled even more and looked at the white man. "Actually, the Hokage ushered both of us to an S-ranked mission and that was to prevent you from peeping into the hot springs. He never told us of the mission's location so I can say that we're just performing what the hokage ordered of us" – Said Naruto, earning a giggle from Tenten and a devious smile from Anko. Jiraya, on the other hand, was furious at Minato for ordering his son to keep his sensei off the hot springs.

Back in Konoha, Minato felt like smiling for no ordinary reason.

"So, brat; is been a while, huh? The last time I saw you, you're in the academy and now you are a chunnin already." – Said Jiraya, smiling at his godson to which Naruto nodded and also smiled. "Yes, it's great so far Ero-sannin. I've been training with my team a lot and we've been doing a lot of missions so far. Plus, there is the fact that Neji and I love to piss off those from Iwa and Kumo which inspired us to train even more" – Said Naruto to which Neji nodded and also smiled, earning a slap on the forehead by Tenten and a giggle from Anko. Jiraya, on the other hand, was serious this time. "Naruto, you can't piss them off like this. I know the tsuchikage is very temperamental and could easily provoke war just so that he could kill either you or Minato. Also, I know for a fact that Kumo still wants the byakugan; thus it's dangerous to provoke these people" – Said Jiraya before becoming scared of Naruto's sudden serious face and suddenly, lightning current surrounded the boy.

"They should've thought better before sending all those assassins to kill me, Jiraya. It it weren't for my father and Kakashi-niisan, I would be killed already" – Said Naruto before he ended the electricity current and smiled. "Besides, it's not that I started any of this, right" – Smiled Naruto suddenly easing the tension that accumulated with Naruto's killing intent.

Jiraya wondered how could the boy manipulate lightning element like that and also wondered how deep runs his feelings for Iwa. Anko for her part was worried about her student and decided to speak. "Naruto, while I concur with the fact that they were the ones who started this mess, you can't let your anger for them cloud your judgment; if by chance, we encounter iwa ninjas, it wouldn't do good for you to go on a killing spree, thus endangering your team and the mission" – Said Anko to which Naruto nodded in understanding.

"I know Anko-sensei. I already vowed myself to never lose control of my emotions while in battle" – Smiled Naruto before everyone nodded and proceeded to eating.

* * *

**---Next day---**

While the team was getting ready to part for Bird Country, Jiraya and Anko were discussing some issues regarding the team's next missions. Jiraya warned Anko of the incoming war between Bird and Fang Country to which Anko nodded, telling that she very well knew of the incoming war. "The Country's Daimyou believes that someone is behind this war and he hired us to investigate. He hired us for 10 missions involving supplies gathering in case of war; document retrievals that are in possession of a group of mercenaries; some missions relenting to guard duties around the country. Our last mission is to stop the war by finding the one responsible for the war, thus eliminating him." – Said Anko to which Jiraya nodded and thought about it for a moment. "I know for a fact that your team is well-trained for this type of situations. With Neji's byakugan and Naruto's kage bunshins usage, plus what you've told me about their fighting abilities, I'm certain that you won't need any help with this; however, I'm concerned if Fang Country thought the same as the Bird Country's Daimyou" – Said Jiraya, concerning Anko a bit.

"IF by chance, Fang Country hires ninjas to assist in the war, it will certainly be complicated. I'm sure Yondaime already thought of this and established a team of jounins to come to the rescue should help is needed. Good luck to you and your team" – Said Jiraya before turning and leaving Anko.

_If Jiraya is right, then Fang Country hires ninjas as well. This will be some test to Naruto, Neji and Tenten. Stopping a war under these circumstances is something even I haven't done it before. I should contact the Hokage for further instructions_– Thought Anko as her team approached. Travelling towards Bird Country, the Konoha's team didn't realize what they got into and Anko hoped that her team would return, safely, to Konoha.


	14. Summoning Contract

**Chapter 14 – Summoning Contract**

Inside his office, Minato was found reading a letter from Anko. According to her, their next set of missions would be in Bird Country as per request to their Daimyou. Also, Anko was expressing her concerns over some conflicts happening in the area between Bird and Fang Country and her worries about an incoming war happening. The Yondaime frowned at this potentially bad news and wondered why the client didn't mention these conflicts in the first place. However, Minato couldn't end the mission from fear of diminishing Konoha's reputation towards the clients. The situation was even worse considering the fact that the client happened to be a Daimyou.

Sighing in frustration for not being able to help much, at least Minato would chose a team of jounins in standby, in case Anko and her team needs help. After concluding the course of action, Minato wrote in a scroll and gave to the snake in front of him, in order to be delivered to Anko. After the animal vanished from sight, the Yondaime Hokage wondered if Naruto would be okay in all this. He knew the boy was strong and could take care of himself, but Minato already seen excellent shinobis dying from bad luck or a missing kunai.

* * *

**---With Anko and co. ---**

While waiting near a river, Anko received the reply letter from the Hokage and sighed in frustration. She also knew they couldn't abandon the mission, simply because Konoha's reputation would fall considerably. She appreciated that the hokage settled up a team of jounins for backup in case things go wrong. According to the Hokage, the team would camp near the Daimyo's castle and wait for the signal that consisted of throwing an exploding tag to the air. Looking up, she saw Naruto and Neji sparring on top of the river and Tenten going over some hand signs for a technique she learned from the scroll called **Katon Zukokku **(Fire Release: Head Mincing Pain Jutsu).

"Ok team, let's head out. The Daimyou is waiting for our arrival tonight" – Said Anko before she saw her team gathering their supplies and started walking near her, before jumping towards the trees next to them and jump towards their destination. They would travel through the trees for half the distance and then take a detour to a river that will conduct them to the Daimyou Castle in Bird Country. On the way, Naruto asked about the Hokage's answer and how they would proceed in case of a war. Anko explained that a team would be nearby in case they are in need and also they were to avoid any confrontations aside from purely defensive maneuvers.

"Remember, team, while we're here, we'll be representing the Bird Country's Daimyou. So, if by chance Fang Country attacks or even hire shinobis to take care of us, our main concern will be defending ourselves. If needed, we'll have to take care of the shinobi enemies swiftly and without alerting the Daimyou. If this reaches his knowledge, he'll certainly declare war against Fang Country and we'll be in serious trouble" – Said Anko to which Naruto, Neji and Tenten nodded, while fully understanding their situation. Neji, however, had a doubt and voiced it to Anko. "What would happen if the Daimyou order us to engage in battle against the enemy?" – Asked Neji to which Anko thought about it for a while and responded. "Should he file a direct and express order, our limitations would end and we would have to fight; however, this way, we won't need to worry about starting a war" – Said Anko to which Neji nodded and remained silent.

Then Anko began explaining their next role of missions which involved document delivery to some of the country's defensive posts. Also, they would take care of some bandits that happen to create some trouble to the country's farms, thus endangering Bird Country's source of economy. She, then, explained, that the Daimyou's daughter was to travel around the country to collect some medicinal herbs and that Anko's team was to protect her through her trip. The next seven mission Anko explained that the Daimyou would supply them with more information. "There are some rumors that the Daimyou is having some trouble lately with a cave nearby and maybe he would ask for the team to verify.

As the team arrived at the lake, they focused some chakra to their feet and began running down the river with great speed. They could run faster, however that would take a lot of chakra and all of them knew that chakra economy was vital until they return to Konoha. After a while of running, Konoha's team was in front of the gate that leads to the castle. Upon presenting their documentation to the stationed samurai, the group was escorted inside the castle to talk to the Daimyou. However, when the team was face to face with their client, all of them were trying their best not to laugh, excluding Neji who was stoic as ever. The client was a midget in size and he was shorter than the chunnins. When the man saw Anko, though, his 'perverted' side emerged and hearts appeared in the man's eyes.

Said woman, though, thought about something so that the client wouldn't try anything funny with her. Immediately, two medium sized snakes emerged from within her sleeves which stopped the man dead on his tracks. "Daimyou-sama, we were sent here as per your request under the orders of Yondaime Hokage. This is my team: Namikaze Naruto; Hyuuga Neji and Tenten and I am Mitarashi Anko" – Said Anko as she dismissed the snakes before bowing to their client. The Daimyou forgot about the woman for a while and addressed them with the proper respect, before initiating the set of missions. "I appreciate the Hokage for sending such talented team of shinobi, so without further a due, the first mission will be to deliver some important documents to Bird Country's two defensive posts stationed a few miles from here. When you return, we'll discuss the next set of missions" – Said the client to which the group nodded and picked up the documents, before leaving the premises.

* * *

**---Outside the castle---**

Once outside, Anko gathered her team and explained the plan. "Okay team, here is the plan. We need to be fast with this mission seeing there are few hours left before nightfall. We'll split up in teams of two and each team will go for one of the forts. Tenten and I will go for the one on the left and you two will go to the right. Take this map with you guys and be sure to activate the intercoms. In case of trouble, use and we'll arrive as soon as possible. Remember, time is off the essence here got it?" – Said Anko before all of them nodded and vanished in seconds.

The distance to both forts were equal and both teams would reach them in an hour tops. Neji and Naruto focused some chakra to their feet and raised their pace. After a while, it wasn't clear if they were trying to reach the target sooner or betting on a race against one another. However, just after Naruto stepped on a tree, dozens of kunais attacked the duo, giving them no escape other than ninjutsu. Naruto appeared in front of Neji and did some hand seals for **Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu **(Wind Release: Wind Barrier Jutsu), thus stopping the kunais. "So much for a quick trip" – Said Naruto as he and Neji went to the ground and faced their enemies.

The enemies consisted of four bandits and by the way the kunais were thrown, Neji and Naruto concluded that they have some ninja training. After a byakugan scan, Neji surmised their abilities as genin level mostly because their chakra coils wasn't so developed. "Damn brats, give that scroll already and stop wasting our time" – Shouted one of the bandits as he charged the two Konoha-nins. Both Naruto and Neji snorted at the man charging straight forward and Neji used a focused palm strike to the man's chest, thus closing one very important tenketsu. The rest of the group charged as well, but they were met with Naruto picking his knifes and start spinning for **Fuuton Gufuukiri no Jutsu **(Wind Release: Hurricane Cutter Jutsu), thus taking on all three of them instantly.

After tying the group, Naruto and Neji began once again the travel so as to return to the castle before nightfall. A while later, they arrived at the fort and delivered the scroll to the fort general before taking the way back; suddenly, though, the intercom was alive and Anko's voice was requesting immediate backup. According to the jounin, there were some missing-nins and they were sustaining heavy fire. Responding immediately, Naruto and Neji channeled more chakra to their feet and reached the place in no time at all. Upon arriving, they saw Tenten resting on the tree, holding her bruised leg while Anko was defending her against two bandits and a Suna missing-nin.

Without even needing a plan, Neji went to aid Tenten while Naruto attacked the two bandits with his **Fuuton Baisuu Kaze no Yaiba **(Wind Release: Multiple Wind Sword Jutsu). When the missing-nin turned to inspect their wounds, he found he didn't have to as they were already dead from the attack, however when he turned, Anko took the opportunity and summoned one of her vipers to bite the man's neck, thus injecting a paralyzing poison inside his veins. After that, Anko knocked the man unconscious before sealing him inside a scroll and sending it to Konoha for the ransom. Naruto, for his part, went to see Tenten and take a look at her wound.

"The missing-nin managed to bruise her pretty badly. We managed to deliver the scroll but on the way back, a kunai came out of nowhere and scratched her leg. Let's go back to the castle, so that we can take care of her leg; quickly, the sun is almost setting" – Said Anko as she grabbed Tenten and sped up to the castle in record time. The boys arrived soon after and Tenten was taken to the infirmary for some medicine. Feeling the adrenaline of battle, the group decided to sleep and tomorrow they would see about some bandits terrorizing Bird Country's field crops. Unfortunately, Tenten would have to rest for a day so the group would have to go without her. Needless to say she objected at first, but after some words from Neji, she complied.

* * *

**---Next day---**

Next day, the group left towards the bandit's camp and Tenten had to stay behind. However, she wasn't alone as Shiho the Daimyou's daughter offered to stay and keep some company. Shiho was the complete opposite to the Daimyou, thus making the group wonder if she resembled her mother. Shiho was a medic and had long dark hair and green eyes.

Back to the group, although without Tenten, had already devised a strategy based on the map the Daimyou provided which also related information as to the number of bandits and the base's location. The plan involved some co-op fuuinjutsu from Neji and Naruto. Naruto would settle exploding tags around the enemy camp and Neji would be the one to link each of them for instantaneous explosion. Because of the explosion, the enemies will have only one way of escaping and that will lead to the three shinobis waiting. Upon arrival, Naruto summoned some kage bunshins and ordered them to scatter around the place, in order to set the exploding tags around the enemy camp.

After all of them were placed, Naruto signaled for Neji who in turn, made some hand seals for **Fuuin Heisetsu **(Sealing Technique Link Jutsu), before slapping his hand on the exploding tag in front of them. In an image that only Neji could see, from the exploding tag, a chakra line was seen leaving the first seal and then tracking all the rest, before finishing where it started. Once done, Neji turned to Naruto who would set the detonation, however the blond would have to be careful and set a precise explosion so as not to damage the field. Focusing some chakra with the ram seal, Naruto set the explosion with success, thus exploding the entire camp within seconds of the trigger.

Anko could only stare as the coordinated fuuinjutsu attack started. She had already participated in a drill with the Anbu demolition corps, but never before she seen them in action. Now seeing Naruto and Neji doing what they did, she could no anything more than clap in amazement. True to their plan, lots of bandits left screaming for help, thus meeting the three shinobis. Anko used her snake style, Neji used his jyuuken and Naruto used his raiton induced strikes. Safe to say, no bandit would ever attack again. Upon returning to the castle, the group greeted Tenten who was already standing and walking around the castle with the help of Shiho. According to the medic, Tenten only needed to walk some more and her leg would be fully healed. Anko and co. nodded and told the girl of the success of the mission. The girl was ecstatic about the exploding seals and wished to know more about this technique.

"Rest up, team. I'll come get you once Shiho decides to leave for her travel" – Said Anko before leaving and walking with said woman. The teams found a couch and sit for a while. Both Naruto and Neji knew how dangerous that technique was in case the seals activated before Neji manage to link them all and after the mission, both of them were sweating bullets. After the rush subsided, Naruto and Neji calmed down, before grabbing something to study while waiting. Neji was reading about the upgrade of the Hyuuga technique from his father who was able to close 128 tenketsus; however Neji was suffering with this technique simply because he would have to maintain the same speed through all the strikes and that was almost impossible.

Naruto, meanwhile, was reading his father's book on raiton ninjutsu. The next technique was called **Raiton Gian **(Lightning Release: False Darkness Jutsu) and the description was similar to the rakurai, however the attack was stronger and more precise which earned Naruto's interest. Tenten was scolding her teammates from not keeping her company, instead reading their books. Sighing in frustration, she picked her book and studied more about the Zukokku. Apparently this technique was very difficult to perform seeing as it involved less control and more power, thus more chakra. The technique consisted of spreading fire chakra all around the ninja, then increasing the chakra, thus initiating combustion.

Tenten knew that said technique was really dangerous and vowed to ask Anko for assistance while performing. Back to Naruto, he understood the hand seals sequence needed for his technique and the chakra molding. While very similar to the rakurai, this technique required more precise control. However, unlike Tenten, Naruto felt the need to try the technique and he went to the castle's yard to practice with it after telling Neji in case Anko arrived with Shiho. Once outside, Naruto took one next look to the book in order to memorize the needed hand seals and the necessary chakra molding.

The first attempts were whether disappointing to his point of view. The chakra wasn't being molded the way it was expected and he even missed the second last hand seal needed for the sequence to be right. Closing his eyes in concentration, he began the process yet again now going slowly through the hand seals, while molding his chakra the right way. The results were without a doubt better than the first ones since this time the lightning energy managed to be formed. The next attempt, Naruto managed to perform the technique and was impressed by how much different it was than the technique's predecessor. The **Raiton Rakurai no Jutsu **(Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Jutsu) was a weaker version of this new one and the lightning energy of this technique was far superior and far more deadly.

* * *

**---With Anko and Shiho---**

While Shiho was setting up her supplies for the trip which consisted of vials to store the herbs, information regarding the varieties of plants and which one contained the medicines she needed for, Anko decided to follow her and get to know her a little bit more. The mission would be for two days tops since the plant's location is north from the castle and it's near the border. Normally, if only ninjas went to collect, it wouldn't need so much time, however, since Shiho was going as well, the group would have to walk all the way. This meant that the group would be more open for attacks from enemies that happen to want Shiho for many things…from a simple theft of her belongings to rape and possibly, kidnapping. The women began to talk about the purpose behind the travel and how many patients Shiho could save at the capitol's hospital. Also, Shiho got to ask about a lot of things concerning some aspects of the Hidden Village in the Leaves as well as the team who would escort her around the country.

Anko tried to limit her answers to only very public information like for instance, some modernizations made from the Yondaime Hokage regarding the shinobi side and how his fiancée Kushina improved the hospital practices in the village. Shiho knew of the Yondaime's wife and her contribution to medicine and wondered where she heard the name Namikaze just recently. She remembered the group of ninjas that would escort her and her mind clicked upon seeing Naruto's image and the immense resemble to the Yondaime Hokage. Upon asking to Anko, said woman sighed since she was expecting questions about Naruto from the lady in front of her. She responded by satisfying the woman's curiosity, stating that in fact Naruto was the son of Yondaime Hokage and Namikaze Kushina, but also alerted her that the blond doesn't appreciate others to regard him as Minato's son. She was glad that Shiho didn't press matters much and accepted Naruto's space. As the women were walking, though, neither of them realized that their path was leading straight to the patio where Naruto himself was attempting his new technique.

When Anko heard the name of the technique Naruto attempted, she, unconsciously, protected her eardrums for the incoming noise that was soon to follow. However, she remembered too late to protect Shiho's ears from the noise, hence why the girl was feeling a lot of pain right now. Shiho was wondering what the hell happened and wondered if was a thunder. Upon looking up, she saw the blue sky and began to think that she was being crazy all of a sudden. Quickly addressing to see if she was alright, Anko did some hand seals, before her hand was glowing green. After she landed her hands near Shiho's ear, thus easing the pain a little, Anko asked if Shiho was alright and explained what Naruto was doing. Said blond noticed that his sensei and the Daimyou's daughter was nearby and approached them. When he got closer, he saw Shiho holding her ear as in trying to ease a strong noise inside, thus making him acknowledge that maybe his jutsu was the cause of all this. The blond apologized for not noticing that someone was around to which Shiho nodded, dismissing such formality and explain that she and Anko were just entering the garden when it happened.

"Sorry for the noise, Shiho-san, I didn't know there were people around and hearing a lightning jutsu could be quite deafening" – Said Naruto to which Shiho nodded, but dismissed the issue. "It's okay Naruto-san, your sensei Anko already helped ease the pain a little bit, I have to say, though, I happen to know about ninjas manipulation the elements, but all that I knew , were much older than you. You must train constantly" – Presumed Shiho to which Anko decided to intervene. "Naruto has been training since he was four years old Shiho-san. Also, he's a part of a few ninjas back in Konoha who can manipulate lightning" – Said Anko to which Shiho nodded in amazement and Naruto continued. "I hope I could be as strong as Hatake Kakashi one day, and if possible, surpass the Yondaime" – Said Naruto, earning a smile from Shiho and Anko in return.

"So Shiho-san, how soon can we part? It's better to leave with daylight, so that we can cover more ground. If we move during nighttime, the chance for attacks raises considerably" – Asked Anko to which Shiho nodded. "My supplies are already collected Anko-san, we could leave right now. I just have to tell father and then I'll meet your team at the front gate" – Said Shiho to which Anko nodded and guided Naruto to call Tenten and Neji up. After the group was settled, they met Shiho at the front gate and the second mission initiated. Along the way, Shiho was working as a tour guide to the Konoha-nins, explaining about many sightseeing's and important buildings in the capital. She explained about a religious monument just out of the capital where people often came to seek redemption to Kami. The first day was uneventful and the group spent the night inside a hot springs hotel and since Shiho was with them, the group received one of the best rooms. After settling in, the group separated between female and male. Naruto and Neji opted to stay in the room to read some ninja material while the girls opted to relax at the hot springs.

Even though Naruto and Neji were okay, both Anko and Tenten missed some girl – girl talk. Shiho chose this moment to get to know her two new friends. Being the Daimyou's daughter was nice to some degree, however when It came to friends, she didn't need both hands to count them all. As the girls settled down at the hot springs, Shiho heard some relaxation moaning from Anko and Tenten, thus wondering how stressful a ninja life can be. Eventually, the group began talking about random subject such as fashion trends and even some shinobi subjects like weapons and techniques, but this part Shiho stayed out of it, instead just nodding along. Eventually, though, she heard Anko teasing Tenten about Neji and Shiho smiled from finally seeing a subject she could talk.

Anko told Shiho that Tenten was rather 'infatuated' with Neji and even teased her about some occasional mishaps that made Anko realize that something was going on. Eventually, Shiho stepped into the conversation. "What about Naruto, Tenten?" – Asked the Daimyou's daughter to which Tenten smiled and responded. "Naruto is a close friend, nothing more. Although he's cute, I…I don't feel the same way for him as I do to Neji-kun. Plus the fact that Naruto is already seeing someone" – Said Tenten before Anko completed. "Cute is an understatement Tenten, he is the splitting image of the Yondaime Hokage….saying he is cute it's the same as saying that Jiraya is a closet pervert" – Said Anko to which Tenten nodded, acknowledging said resemblance.

"So who is Naruto seeing at the moment, if you don't mind my curiosity? I'm just not accustomed to have friends this often, because of who is my father" – Asked Shiho to which Anko nodded and responded. "No worries there, Shiho-san. Naruto is dating a friend of mine called Uzuki Yuugao. She is one of Konoha's Anbu operatives" – Said Anko to which Shiho got confused. She happened to know about said ninja division and also knew that to get inside, one has to be extremely competent and experienced in battle. Also, although Naruto don't look like, he was too young to date someone older. Anko sensed the woman's suspicion and confirmed the fact that Yuugao is eight years older than Naruto.

After Shiho heard said piece of information, she wondered about the blond and what a mystery he was. The talk went on about Shiho's dates. While the girls were having fun talking, the boys were enjoying some peaceful time to just do nothing. Naruto was meditating a little bit while Neji was spending time improving his byakugan range. Of course, he could send his eyes to spy on the girls, but Neji was highly educated by his mother who in turn, drilled into his mind that being a perverted was beneath the Hyuuga Clan. In fact, it was after he completed his mission with Naruto which consisted of preventing the sannin Jiraya from peeping at the hot springs and hearing his mother saying things like castrating the man for his perverted attitude.

Back to Naruto, he was meditating, but this time he was circulating fuuton chakra around his inner coils. He remembered reading in his life-time book about ways to improve fuuton control, so he was now improving it in ways of trying to do technique that don't require much chakra. Some fuuton jutsus took a lot of chakra and he knew this would mean trouble in case he confronted a powerful opponent. He wasn't aware, of course, that just like with lightning chakra, he was able to expel fuuton chakra around his body, thus creating a little typhoon around him. Unlike lightning, the wind was pushing all objects to the wall with force, thus resulting in Neji shouting for him to stop before he leveled the entire room. When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw the room all messed up and laughed a little bit, before gathering the objects and placing them at its proper place. Eventually, the entire group gathered for dinner, before ending the night, sleeping.

* * *

**---The next day---**

After checking out, the group continued their trip towards the place where the medicinal herbs were located. Neji managed to catch four presences watching them from afar and told Anko about them. Anko said that since they didn't attack yet, it meant that they wanted the group to find the target before they attacked. "Maybe, they are after the herbs just like we are. Naruto, Neji you two stay behind us in case of attacks. Neji, activate your byakugan on occasions to spy on their movements. If they attack, run defensive maneuvers until Shiho is safe from harm" – Said Anko to which the group nodded and began travelling. Unaware of the imminent danger, Shiho informed them that in two more hours, they would reach the location.

Neji began focusing on his eyes and saw that they were just following the group close behind for a while. Naruto asked him of the guy's levels and Neji responded by saying that he sensed familiar presence to kumo-nins, thus setting Naruto on edge. Anko happened to hear Neji talking and was immediately alerted. _It seems Kumo are in on this as well, this complicates a lot of things. We need to be careful as not to cause an incident between the villages. Neji, Naruto, remember what we talked and do not attack unless attacked before. I trust both of you to do the right thing._ – Thought Anko as she looked at both her students, before seeing them nodding back at her. Both Neji and Naruto already knew why Anko was thinking and knew of the plan.

A while later, Shiho smiled upon spotting the plants in front of her. Clearly oblivious to her surroundings, the Daimyou's daughter ran to the plant's direction. "Tenten, after Shiho collects the herbs, take her and secure her. The signal will be Naruto and Neji deflecting the enemy's attacks. Trust no one that approaches you until either me, Naruto or Neji comes to you with our secret code, got it?" – Asked Anko to which Tenten nodded and got ready to charge and grab Shiho as fast as she could. Looking towards the boys, she smiled upon seeing Naruto already making hand seals and Neji already initiating his kaiten. On what appeared seconds to Shiho and milliseconds to the shinobis, numerous kunais and shurikens came flying at the team and Shiho.

"**Kaiten" **(Heavenly Spin)

"**Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu **(Wind Release: Wind Barrier Jutsu)

With Tenten already gone to grab Shiho, Anko and the rest of the team turned to face their opponents. When their faces became visible, their headbands were as well. "What don't you give the Daimyou's daughter and not waste our time. We have a mission to complete and I do not want to have filthy blood on my hand" – Said one of the kumo-nins. "Takata, quit border talking with the enemy, let's just deal with them and take the girl" – Murmured Takata's companion whose name is Saito. "Do not worry Saito, they are just a bunch of chunnins, they don't represent danger to us. Other than the Hyuuga, the rest are pathetic" – Said Takata, earning a smile from Naruto and Neji who couldn't help but hear.

"Anko-sensei, now that they attacked us, can we fight back?" – Asked Naruto, earning a nod from said woman. "Yes, you can, but aim for unconsciousness. We have to interrogate them to see what is Kumo's affair with Shiho" – Said Anko to which both boys nodded and got into position. The enemies outnumbered Konoha-nins, also they appeared to be jounins, however Naruto and Neji were highly known for being unpredictable in a fight. "Neji, we are outnumbered here, what do you think?" – Murmured Naruto to which the Hyuga smiled and responded. "It's true that the odds are against us, but while they win in quantity, we can overcome them in the quality department. Let's stick together for this one. All of them have swords, so they won't be afraid to use them. While you defend the attacks, I'll use jyuuken and hit some tenketsus. Then, we charge against them while they are defenseless" – Advised Neji to which Naruto nodded and grabbed his twin knifes.

True to Neji's plan, all four of them grabbed their swords and attacked the duo together. Naruto chose the last minute to use a lighter version of the wind barrier, thus slowing the enemy's attacks, giving Neji the time needed to hit two of them with jyuuken and Naruto taking care of the rest, breaking their swords in half. Upon looking at the swords, the kumo-nins wondered what the hell happened when they saw fuuton chakra running through the blades. The ones that Neji landed a hit were on the ground from being unable to mold chakra correctly. Therefore, the battle was now evenly matched.

From the back, Anko smiled at the boys' cunning plan and teamwork. "Dammit, how did this happen? Our attacks were delayed somehow" – Shouted Takata as he looked at the blond in front of them smiling. "Focus imbecile, the blond used fuuton chakra to slow our attacks. We attacked them without cautions and now we lost the number advantage" – Said Saito before seeing his companion snarling at the Konoha-nins. "See If you can dodge this, **Raiton Rakurai no Jutsu **(Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Jutsu)" – Said Takata, as he send the lightning straight at them.

Not wanting to see if the Kaiten would block the lightning, Neji did some hand signs and spit some mud on the ground which grew up a wall, thus blocking the attack as well as the enemy's view of the Konoha ninjas. When the walls fell, only Naruto was visible, thus confusing the enemies. The blond, for his part, made some hand seals for **Fuuton Daitoppa **(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu). The strong air current was enough to send both Takata and Saito towards the incoming tree. Saito hit his head at the tree, thus losing conscious while Takata managed to use the momentum and flipped his body, thus landing safely. However, he failed to realize that Neji was just waiting below ground in case one of them survived Naruto's attack.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Takata's leg and dragged him down the ground, thus imprisoning him and landing a finger on his forehead with jyuuken. When he looked at the ones left, he saw Anko there placing them on the tree and tied them up to which Neji assumed the woman took advantage of their situation and poisoned them with her snakes. When the kumo-nins opened their eyes, they found out that they were tied up and that Konoha-nins were staring at them. "Dammit, untie us right now" – Shouted Takata. Anko took the opportunity and began her favorite hobby called 'torture'. "I wouldn't shout if I were you. You don't want to piss me off. I can be quite vicious and maybe, break your neck out of impulse; you don't want that, do you?" – asked Anko with a hint of venom in her voice, scaring all people present, even her team. Truth be told, this wasn't the first time they got to watch Anko torturing someone, but in order to grow accustomed to the act, either they needed to empty their stomachs or lose all contact with emotions. However, they needed to maintain the stoic face so that the torture worked.

"We won't talk, bitch, so stop wasting your time" – Said Saito, though Anko wouldn't hear him and now focused some chakra to a very good torture technique she learned from Orochimaru called **Kanashibari no Jutsu. **Instantly, the kumo-nins were paralyzed in fear, while viewing their deaths many times. This technique helped to eliminate the strong-mind from the weak and out of the group, only Saito remained sain. The others, however, were looking at Anko like they knew she would kill them. "Now, you will answer my questions and pray that I'm merciful to your lives. Now, tell me why you are after Shiho?" – Asked Anko to which one of the enemies answered between stutters. "The….the Fang Country's Dai…myou hired us to kidnap the woman. He…he would declare war soon after he…he got the woman's custody".

Anko acknowledged said strategy and knew that should Kumo succeed in kidnapping Shiho, The Bird Country's Daimyou would be cornered to surrender his land in exchange for his daughter's life. She was cursing this type of strategies, but couldn't counter the man's ingenuity. The Bird Country's Daimyou cared for his daughter as much as he cared for his country, so either he would exchange without a second thought or make rash decisions and lose both. "Good boy, now tell me are there other missions that Kumo were hired to do by request of Fang Country?" – Asked Anko, before seeing that the man who answered the first question, suddenly collapsed and blood came out of his mouth. "You bitch, what did you do to him?" – Screamed Saito before was met with a Kunai placed inches from his neck. "Don't be such a baby. He is just passed out, now would you tell me what I want to know" – Asked Anko to which Saito paled under the threat, but responded.

"This is the only mission I know. If Kumo sent another group afterwards, we aren't told in case of situations like this" – Said Saito to which Anko looked at him for a moment. "Now, that wasn't too hard was it? Now, we'll leave you four here. One piece of advice, though, this area is famous for dangerous animals" – Said Anko before her group vanished back to the castle. While the way back, Anko was thanking Kami that Shiho didn't hear the content of their mission. If she did, she would tell her father and god only knows what would happen. Looking back, Anko was surprised to see Neji carrying an unconscious Shiho and concluded that he did that on purpose so that they could reach the castle faster. Two hours later, the group arrived and placed Shiho inside her bedroom together with the plants needed for the medicine. After that, the group went to sleep, but not before letting the client knows that they arrived and was ready for the next mission tomorrow.

* * *

**---The next day---**

The next day, the group stood before the Daimyou while said man thanked the group for assisting his daughter with protection. Even if he didn't know of the attack, the group presumed he was being polite or something like that. "Thanks for protecting my daughter on her travel. Now, I have two favors to ask of you. And this is where the trouble lies. There are two immediate situations that need to be taken care of and one of them is within the castle's boundaries. The other one is a few miles from here. What do you suggest we do?" – Asked the Daimyou to which Anko prompted to split the team in two, with Neji and Tenten forming a group while she and Naruto would form the other group. "Right, the first group would be responsible of important document retrieval. One of our messengers happened to lose it near the forest surrounding the forest and we need it back right away" – Said the man.

"Neji here can help finding the document better than all of us, so he and Tenten will find. What about the other mission?" – Asked Anko, before Tenten and Neji asked for the document's contents to the Daimyou's personal assistant. "The second mission is about five miles far from the capital. A few of my workers were sent to collect some minerals, however that was four days ago. Up to now, we don't have news of their situation. We're afraid that they are either dead or struggling to survive" – Said the Daimyou to which Anko nodded and took off with Naruto before taking the location's map.

* * *

**---Outside the castle----**

Once outside, the group was reunited talking. "Neji, Tenten, be careful out there. Neji, use the byakugan to find the document and also use it to escape from the enemy. I don't believe for one second that Kumo will stop sending more shinobi so be aware for them. Me and Naruto will verify the cave and see about the worker's condition and return right away" – Said Anko to which the group nodded and then went separate ways.

While travelling towards the cave, Anko noticed Naruto was a little unease about something and decided to ask him. "Anko-sensei, I was wondering about our last encounter with the kumo-nins. It was way too easy to beat jounin level shinobis" – Said Naruto to which Anko nodded and considered maybe a test of sorts. "If what they said was true, then their mission failed, simple as that. Whether or not they were testing us, it was a good thing both you and Neji managed to beat them without showing all your abilities. However, I'm more concerned about the Fang Country's Daimyou. He wanted to kidnap Shiho for leverage against Bird Country in case of a war. Only a person with no principles would so something like that. So, it's safe to say that we will have to face him once again" – Said Anko to which Naruto nodded and the rest of the trip remained.

* * *

**---In front of the cave---**

Once they landed in front of the cave, Naruto felt something he wasn't supposed to feel this time of the day. This feeling was the same one he felt upon the full moon appearance. He knew, however, that the full moon would only appear in two days, so he wondered about the meaning of this sudden feeling. The cave appeared to be harmless, it was quite open and didn't appear to be dangerous at all, however both Naruto and Anko knew that appearances aren't anything. Walking inside, Anko found a torch and entered the place. It took a while for the sunlight to stop illuminating the cavern and Anko stopped to take a look at the map. According to the paper, the workers were supposed to be inside a room a couple of miles to their right. Not intending to be lost inside the cave, Anko summoned a little snake and placed it near the path leading the exit. After that, she and Naruto walked towards where the group would be located. Upon arrival, though, they couldn't find a single soul, not even traces of the workers. Searching for some clue, Anko spotted a trail of blood that lead to a room to the left. Ushering Naruto to follow, Anko took a kunai and was ready in case of an attack. When she entered the room, though, there were the workers, gathered around in the middle of the room.

"Who's there? Please don't hurt us"- Shouted one of them to which Naruto ushered him to calm down and Anko said that they were sent by the Daimyou for help. "Thank Kami, however I'm afraid you won't be able to do much" – Said the worker to which Anko asked what happened and why they wouldn't be able to help. "Three days ago, we were collecting some minerals for our king for further negotiations with other countries. However, out of the blue, this huge monster attacked us and wounded our friend here. We managed to escape and hide in here" – Said the man, thus worrying Anko and Naruto greatly. The woman asked for a description, but the man only managed to see the creature's piercing yellow eyes and monster's shape. "If this monster attacked you, then we have to find out why" – Said Anko, not knowing that Naruto was feeling even more unease now. The feeling in front of the cave seemed to intensify and he could swear he heard some growling a minute before. The blond remembered about a strange dream he had a couple nights ago.

**Flashback on**

_Naruto was walking inside a dark cave, he found he couldn't feel anything; he didn't know whether he was thinking or he was saying simply because there wasn't light inside the cave. He didn't know if his eyes were open or not, simply because it didn't matter. It was dark and he couldn't see anything. Even if he placed his hands in front of his eyes, he wouldn't be able to see it. The only thing he could feel was his feet as he walked around, trying to find where he was. He walked around for a while, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere, in a place where he didn't have any sense of space or time, he couldn't know whether or not he was going somewhere. _

_Suddenly, though, his eyes managed to look at what appeared to be a bright blue light that resembled the moonlight coming out of a door. Upon opening the door, though, the light faded and for a while, desperation filled his mind. Being inside a place with no light, no sound, no sense of touch or smell, could send even a grownup to despair. At some point, Naruto didn't know if he was even alive. He couldn't use any of his five senses and the only thing he could rely on was his brain. Suddenly, the light that appeared before now appeared once again behind another door. However, this door was quite different than the previous one. This one was actually a huge double door and Naruto had to struggle a bit to open it. When he opened, though, he was face to face with a huge creature. He couldn't see it clearly because of the dark cave, but he managed to look at the powerful yellow eyes. _

_Naruto was hypnotized by the look and found out that he couldn't do anything. Suddenly, though, the creature roared louder than anything and the fact that Naruto's hearing was affected from the place's lack of sound, the roar was even louder, thus sending a huge gust of wind towards the blond. _

**Flashback off**

At the time, Naruto awoke moments after the roar, so he couldn't see the creature. Back to the real time, Naruto was wondering about what could be, when he heard some animal roaring. When he turned and ask if someone heard that, no one nodded and Anko asked what happened. Naruto was looking around until his eyes looked the same light from his dreams, coming out of a passage to their right. At this point, his curiosity hypnotized Naruto and said blond walked towards the light source. When he was gone from the room, Anko screamed for him to come back, before giving up and went to find him.

She knew that Naruto was unease the whole time, but didn't take into consideration. However, now she was worried about her student and how the blond seemed to be walking as if he was some sort of trance. When she saw the blond stopping and looking up, she acknowledged his petrified look and ran to see what happened. When she looked up, though, she was face to face with the creature the worker mentioned. Yellow eyes looking down at the intruders and considering them to be just insects compared to his presence. However, the creature was unease with the blond that was looking directly at his eyes. Somehow, the monster wondered why this blond insect caught his interest. Seeing the need to test them, the creature gathered air through his lungs and prepared for the attack.

Remembering his dream, Naruto used chakra to stick him to the floor. It was a subconscious action, but somehow he knew the exact thing would happen. True to his wonderings, the monster roared profusely and a huge gust of wind suddenly reached the group, thus sending Anko to the wall, but Naruto remained still. Anko, though, hit her head and was unconscious by the time she landed on the ground. The blond went to her aid, immediately, before looking back at the creature. Suddenly, said creature begin to speak with him and Naruto shivered by the sheer sound of his voice. "**Tell me human, how did you know I would do something like this?" – **Said the creature to which Naruto responded by simply knowing this would happen. "Two days ago, I had a dream that was pretty similar to this situation right now. On the dream, I was blown away by the gust of wind. Tell me why do I feel like someone is calling for me?" – Asked Naruto to which the creature narrowed his eyes now. It couldn't be possible. The last person to feel this way was 2000 years ago. The creature began looking directly to Naruto's eyes and instantly, he entered Naruto's mind, taking the blond by surprise before pulling his body to his mind as well.

* * *

**---Inside his mindscape---**

Upon opening his eyes, Naruto found himself in Konoha, but more precisely inside Konoha Hospital. On his right, there laid what appeared to be a white wolf sitting while looking at the scene in front of him. When Naruto looked, though, his heart was like crazy. It was his father and mother together looking at a baby. The baby had little blond hair and Naruto wondered what was going on, until the wolf spoke. "**We are inside your mind boy, this scene before you is you being brought to this world**" – Said the wolf, to which Naruto recognized the voice as being identical to the creature. "What are we doing inside my mind and how do you know that baby is me. How can I have this image inside my mind?" – Asked Naruto to which the wolf answered.

"**Even though your mind didn't register said image, I have the power to create the surroundings based on what information the mind contains. As to why I'm here, I'll tell you soon enough."** – Said the wolf to which Naruto snarled, but returned to look at the scene, before it suddenly shifted. Right now, he was facing what appeared to be himself training until exhaustion in his backyard. He heard the wolf muttering words like 'interesting' and 'training'. The next scene was him saving Yuugao after sending her flying with a fuuton technique. Naruto smiled upon remembering that time. He missed seeing his girlfriend smiling and he wanted to come back as soon as possible. The image shifted again and now Naruto and the wolf were face to face with the full moon and an eight year old Naruto seating on top of the roof. **"The one who is drawn by the full moon will be the one who possess the mark"** – Whispered the wolf to which Naruto asked him what it meant. **"This is an ancient prophecy that sees the forthcoming of the Wolf Clan's next summoner. The human who is drawn by the full moon will have the honor of being able to summon the Wolf Clan"** – Said the wolf to which Naruto nodded and turned to the now shifting image.

However, this image was something he didn't want to witness any day in his life. It was the same nightmare that plagued his mind over and over again, but now instead of only his father and mother, now there stood Yuugao, Neji, Anko and Tenten as well. All six of them were being crucified by iwa-nins in exchange for what his father had done while on the last shinobi war. Subconsciously, Naruto clenched his teeth in anger and closed his fist with much strength that blood would appear if this was the real world. The wolf eyed Naruto for a while and concluded that after a lot of time, a new summoner has emerged. **"The wolf clan's summoner has a great sense of protection and loyalty towards its equal. The summoner's drive to protect those he cares for is unmatched. I can see now, Namikaze Naruto, why you intrigued me before. You fit my clan's prophecy, thus you're able to receive the mark of our clan"** – Said the wolf, before he jumped and bit Naruto right in the left arm. Naruto, though, was ecstatic. He knew his father shared the toad contract with Jiraya and he would get to sign it sooner or later. However, now that he was the sole bearer of the Wolf Clan, he now got more power to protect those he deeply cares about.

The place where the bite was, a wolf tattoo emerged and the wolf once again spoke. "**After 2000 years, finally the Wolf Clan will rise once again through your hands. Use our help when you feel the ones you care about are in danger; use our help when your life is in danger. I could see, as well, of your drive for power. However, instead of wanting them for petty reasons, you want to use it to protect the ones you care for, I happen to respect that a lot. Welcome to our clan, Namikaze Naruto. My name is Fenrir and I'm the wolf boss"** – Said Fenrir to which Naruto smiled and nodded at said wolf, however one thought occurred to him. "Fenrir-sama, why did you attack those workers?" – Asked Naruto to which said wolf smiled. **"They violated the wolf's sacred ground. Below this grounds, laid our ancestors and the minerals the other humans happened to be collecting them, were offered to them as sign of respect. They can leave this cave, but with a warning that should they return, a worse fate will fall upon them"** – Said Fenrir, before all went black and suddenly Naruto was back at the cave once more. Looking up, Fenrir was now visible and handled a scroll for Naruto. **"This scroll contains the jutsu needed to summon us and which wolves are there to summon, including me. May the full moon guard you and the ones you care about and don't hesitate in calling us for help"** – Said Fenrir before he vanished from the room.

Moments later, Anko awoke while tending to her head as it was quite a bump she suffered. When Naruto went to treat her, she asked as to the creature's whereabouts and Naruto explained the whole situation, before showing the wolf tattoo on his left arm to prove. Needless to say Anko was flabbergasted with Naruto's story, but chose to press on it when they reached back to the castle. According to Naruto, this cave was sacred to the wolves, thus the boss came to stop the workers from collecting the minerals that were meant for the Wolf Clan's ancestors. After finding the group once again and then taking them to the exit, they charged to the castle in hopes of reaching there before the sunset. While walking, though, Naruto chose his time to study the scroll and know about the jutsu named **Ookami Kuchiyose no Jutsu **(Wolf Summon Technique). Also, he was getting to know about some wolves and their abilities.


	15. Avoiding a war

**Chapter 15 ****– Avoiding a war**

It was a sunny afternoon in Konoha, bird chirping and people walking around without a care in the world. People often said that just by looking at the village was enough to take away all of his or her troubles, but one person was far from carefree. Namikaze Minato was considered the best Hokage to ever assume the control of the village, but when it came to experience while handling things, he acknowledged the fact that his predecessors surpassed him by leaps and bounds. For instance, the Sandaime Hokage was leading during the Second Shinobi War against Iwa and Minato very well knew that should something occur during his leadership, he wouldn't have half the Sandaime's competence to rule the villages in times of war. Not to mention the fact that his entire family is now passing through difficulties.

Naruto, Kami forbids, was about to get himself into a war between two countries and Minato wasn't sure what would happen. Also Kushina is eight months pregnant with their second child Misao and was now running some tests at Konoha Hospital to ensure the baby's wellbeing. Minato appreciated when Naruto's girlfriend Yuugao stopped by the hospital to give his wife some company simply because work was being a murder right now and he didn't have the time to rest more than half an hour before something came up and needed his immediate attention. The ex-Sandaime arrived sometimes to give him a hand or two, but that didn't help ease the constant load of paper. He remembered his son asking Minato why he didn't use kage bunshin and double or even triple to work force and smiled, at the same time, missing his son's smartass remarks.

Minato could only imagine the even bigger headache he would have if didn't send Anko's team to do a complete set of missions and have only one report. Of course, he didn't count the client lying to him about an imminent conflict with another country, but still one team doing next to 14 missions in one go, not only increased the number of shinobis available for further missions, but also increased the village's economy. Now, he could only pray that Anko's team comes back unharmed or at least, with non-lethal wounds. Instantly, one of the hokage's messengers rushed in his office, screaming. "Hokage-sama, an important message; you need to take a look at this" – Shouted the man to which Minato sighed '_what else is new?'_

* * *

**---At the Konoha Hospital---**

After the many precautionary exams were taken, Kushina was found resting inside a hospital bedroom with Uzuki Yuugao there to assist the woman should need arise. Kushina voiced, many times, that she didn't need help and that Yuugao didn't need to worry about her, however, deep inside, she appreciated the woman's presence with her, since apart from Nara Yoshino and Hinata's mother, no one would come to visit her. So, she chatted much with Yuugao about many things like Anbu to medical knowledge and obviously, their only link with each other, one Namikaze Naruto. At first, Yuugao tried to lead the older woman off the idea of her dating Naruto, since she didn't know that Naruto already told them, but in the end, she gave up and opened up to the blond's mother.

It was until later that both of them acknowledged that Naruto was a varied subject to talk about. Since he was born, he didn't stop at all and continued to grow despite many obstacles that need to be overcome. Kushina told Yuugao how hard Naruto trained since his arms were long enough to land a decent punch on a wooden dummy. Yuugao began talking about how she and Naruto met and how their relationship grew from sparring rivals to girlfriend and boyfriend, before showing a red color to her face, making Kushina smile deeply at the presumed effect Naruto made on Yuugao and vice-versa. Eventually, both of them expressed how much they missed the blond and both wished he would return soon. "Yuugao-san, I know for a fact, that my son is strong just like his father, but I can't help but feel frightened when he goes out and does high ranking missions. Do you really think he's capable of undergoing these tasks?" – Asked Kushina to which Yuugao smiled at Naruto's mother and remembered her mother once voicing said question to Yuugao's father that she would be better slowing down a bit with missions.

"Naruto-kun is very strong, indeed Kushina-san. He has the skills to undergo these missions with ease and his team is growing just like he is. Both Hyuuga Neji and Tenten are excellent ninja and my friend Mitarashi Anko is one tough kunoichi. Naruto only needs experience, though, but that will happen with time. Don't worry, though, he will be a chunnin at least for quite a while. In order to receive the next promotion, his mission repertoire must increase and his sensei Anko would have to vow for his abilities as a jounin, so experience will be taken into consideration. Plus, I don't think Hokage-sama would promote Naruto if he thought he wasn't ready" – Explained Yuugao to which Kushina nodded and smiled to her maybe daughter in law. _Her heart is already connected with Naruto from what I can see and it's difficult not to consider her as such, I just hope that Naruto will be okay and return soon enough to witness Misao being born in a month. _

* * *

**---In Bird Country---**

Since the workers couldn't keep up with ninja's speed, Naruto and Anko had to walk towards the castle and hope they reach there without more delays. Naruto wasn't complaining, though, as he had enough material to read until the group arrived at the castle. So far, he learned some aspects of the wolf clan's history and some of the wolves that represent the clan. He learned how to summon them, which in turn, consisted of cutting his own finger and draw a straight line with his own blood on top of the wolf tattoo, before beginning the hand seals for **Ookami Kuchiyose no Jutsu **(Wolf Summon Technique). Anko for her part chose the time to show her mark as well for the snake clan and explain about it for a while. Naruto learned about the disgusting exploits made by Anko's sensei Orochimaru and swore to help his sensei overcome him, should she ask for help, earning a nod from said kunoichi, but advised Naruto to be careful with him in case Naruto ran in with him.

"Naruto, although I appreciate the help, Orochimaru is one of the sannins and only a sannin or the Hokage have enough power to deal with him. Perhaps, you also in the future, but right now, you can't hope to beat him" – Explained Anko to which Naruto nodded and relaxed his sensei by saying that it wouldn't do well to face a much stronger opponent with his skills right now; saying that he would be easily killed and that wasn't what he wanted right now. After that, the duo stopped talking for a while and Naruto went back to wolf clan scroll. Naruto was excited as hell to learn that the wolves possess similar power to humans in chakra control, ninjutsu and genjutsu. In the scroll, there were listed wolves with abilities over all fields of elemental ninjutsu, which meant that he could summon one and do a collaboration ninjutsu with his summon. Also, they were also the one called **Gekkou** (moonlight) who happens to focus on genjutsu or illusionary techniques. All in all, Naruto had a powerful ally to help him protect his precious people.

After a while, the group spotted the castle in the horizons and in twenty minutes, all of them walked in and went to talk to their lord over what happened. Neji and Tenten already fulfilled their assignments, thus finding the missing document before anyone could. According to a somewhat brief report, Neji told about taking out some bandits and a low level missing-nin who tried his luck against Neji and ended up with 128 closed tenketsus while Tenten stayed to fight the bandits with one of her weapons. After that, Anko and Naruto explained what happened and Naruto showed to his teammates, the wolf mark and how he got bear said mark. Neji and Tenten were astonished to say the least, but congratulated Naruto either way. The three of them were a team and would always be a team. Naruto receiving a summon contract would meant to be used against the enemies, so Neji wasn't afraid of Naruto calling one of them to aid him in their spars.

What the group didn't know, thought, was that Shiho, without knowing about Konoha's efforts to keep sensitive information out of the Daimyou's ears, was talking with her father how Konoha's team bravely defeated a bunch of Kumo-nins who attacked them out of the blue. It was clear that the man was furious about knowing of a deliberate attack to his daughter and he very well knew who would do such a thing. He met with Fang Country's Daimyou a few times in the past, mostly in order to negotiate some trading contract between the two countries. He always thought the man to act first and be damned the consequences. So by kidnapping his daughter, the fang country's Daimyou would have enough leverage against the Bird Country and initiate the threats to both the country and his daughter.

Storming off the castle infuriated and leaving his daughter wondering what she said wrong, the Bird Country's Daimyou rushed to the place where Anko's team were located while resting for their next mission. "Anko-san, would you care to explain why you thought better than informing me on an attempted kidnapping on my daughter. Any deliberate act caused by Fang Country is to be carried out to me. We are in a sensitive position with them as it is and I can't risk having my daughter kidnapped by their hands" – Screamed the Daimyou to which the team sighed and looked at one another, before Anko addressed the client. "My deepest apologies Daimyou-sama, I happen to know about Bird and Fang Country's situation and if by chance, your majesty knew of said attack, it'd be possible that you, sir, would declare war against them. The attackers weren't even able to touch a single hair of Shiho-san and we kept you from this information, in order to prevent a war happening, thus unnecessary bloodshed" – Explained Anko, but the client wouldn't have it.

"Although your reasons are sound, Anko-san, any information towards a foreign attack, should be delivered to me so that I can deal properly. I admit that going to war is stupid at this time and will only cause the death of my men, but from now, do not keep valuable information such as this one away from me. Now, I have another mission for your team. One of my spies managed to infiltrate one bandit camp south from here and informed me of some of their plans. For instance, they plan to overcome the country's weapons storage and then use it against the country in an attempt to rule Bird Country. Whether or not this information is valid, I want to ensure the security of the weapons warehouse and if possible, subdue the bandits so that we don't have to worry about them. My personal assistant will be drawing a map of the location and handle to you and your team. Please, shall any information about Fang Country's intrusion in these manners, talk to me about it. If by chance, that imbecile of the Fang Country hired other ninjas as well, I'll leave it up to your team to deal with them as my samurai army are no match for their elemental techniques" – Explained the client to which Anko bowed in respect just like her students did.

After the client left, Anko sighed and turned to back to her team for counseling. "Damn Shiho, she must be the one who opened her mouth. Now, we must tell him everything that occurred or else Konoha's reliability will be shaken. Well, let's move forward. This will be one of the last missions before we are able to return to Konoha, so listen up. I'm proud at all of you for withstanding the pressure of doing missions in a row and now we'll a few missions away from retuning home. This mission is relatively easy and shouldn't cause us many problems. I want you all to remember that we are representing the Bird Country's daimyou so in case we ran against their forces or some nins hired by them, we won't attack unless fired upon. The client has our sentiment to avoid war at all costs but should something happen, he won't have a choice" – Explained Anko to which the group nodded.

It wasn't long until the daimyou's assistant came and handled the scroll to Anko, containing the location of the warehouse and some info on the bandits. In ten minutes, the group was already travelling in high speed towards the designated location. The place was just a few miles away from the capital, hence why it took only a few minutes to arrive. Once settling down, Anko went to talk to the one in charge of the place's security and presented the daimyou's orders. The man was relieved to say the least, since he knew his comrades wouldn't stand a chance against large number of bandits and he appreciated the help.

After returning to her team, Anko initiated her plan as to the procedure involved in guarding the warehouse. "Ok, team, here is how is going to be. According to the report, the bandits are to attack the warehouse in exactly two days from now. We'll use it to place some traps around the perimeter and also implant a security system that consists of everyone of us guarding the house for a specific period of time. Neji and Tenten will come with me in order to plant the traps around the perimeter while you Naruto will use three kage bunshins and make a full protection from all sides. After the traps are settled down, we'll gather and devise a rotation system to guard the warehouse; move." – Screamed Anko getting a prompt nod from the team before each of them went to their designated location.

Naruto immediately summoned three clones and each settled down in one of the warehouse's sides while Anko, Tenten and Neji began placing traps which consisted of invisible wire which upon stepping on it, numbers of kunais and shurikens would attack, field genjutsu so as that the enemy can't be aware of the traps hidden and even some covert holes that Neji, so gladly, supplied to the group. A few minutes later, the field was all taken care of and the group was gathered for further instructions. "Okay, now we'll have to wait for the bandits to strike. However, even if the house needs full time surveillance, that doesn't mean we can't use the time to train a little bit. So, each person will be rotating in two hours periods and the rest of the group will be training" – Explained Anko.

Since Neji was first, he sat down near the front of the warehouse and focused on activating his byakugan every 10 minutes. Since it was already night time, the group postponed training and turned to rest until Neji's two hour was done and Tenten would be next and then Anko.

* * *

**---The next day---**

After breakfast, Naruto positioned once again his kage bunshins to guard the place while his team got to train. Anko focused more on physical skills, in hopes of increasing their speed, strength and stamina during fights. So, she started with a couple of muscle building exercises and long endurance ones as well, before moving on to sparring two against one. This way, they would be able to learn how to fight in disadvantage and exploit his or her resources. Ninjutsu wasn't something Anko focused much now, because both Tenten and Neji already learned most of the jutsus she had to teach, so it was only a matter of time until they would see the high level ones at the library or even create a jutsu of their own.

Also the fact that Naruto was even better than her in the ninjutsu department was what convinced her to change the group's focus. Eventually, Tenten carved in and Anko let her rest for a moment while she sparred against Neji whose taijutsu was just as good as Naruto's ninjutsu which was saying a lot. "Your form improved a lot Neji. I can see your father's scroll was beneficial in that order" – Said Anko as she dodged an incoming jyuuken blast from the chunnin. Suddenly, Neji used one familiar jutsu and attacked Anko from both sides, making her use a kawarimi and escape the two attacks. "Huh, good move there, copying Naruto's sneaky style of fighting. I'd have to say I didn't see that coming" – Said Anko to which Neji smiled and nodded. "Yes, we tend to trade techniques once in a while. He taught me the **kage bunshin** and….." – Said Neji, being completed by Naruto who in turn added. "And Neji taught me the **kaiten** (heavenly spin). Anko-sensei, my time is up, you're next".

"Yes but before I go, I'd like to see you doing the kaiten. Sharing a simple jutsu like the kage bunshin is one thing but sharing a clan jutsu is another. Neji, if this becomes your father's knowledge, he wouldn't be so happy about it" – Said Anko to which Neji nodded. "Tou-san approved the exchange, but with a condition. He asked Naruto to use the kaiten and try mixing with fuuton ninjutsu so that no one would get suspicious" – Explained Neji to which Naruto completed. "I also changed the name of the technique so no one would get suspicious. It's called **Fuuton Shippujiten **(Wind Release: Hurricane Spin Jutsu)" – Said Naruto.

After hearing the name, Anko relaxed since she was expecting the name to be the same except for the word fuuton in front of it. So, she went to guard the warehouse before setting Naruto to do a couple of exercises and practice his stealth ability together with Neji. Anko once said that if you could manage to fool a Hyuuga than you could fool pretty much anybody so Naruto, on occasions tried to hide from Neji's eyes, but he always failed miserably. It wasn't because Naruto's stealth skills weren't good, since Tenten couldn't find him and Anko had to struggle a bit, but for the byakugan not to see Naruto the blond would have to suppress all his chakra and seeing that Naruto was a chakra house, it was almost impossible to accomplish.

However that didn't mean the blond would quit what he's doing, though as he disappeared from view within seconds. Neji, without his eyes, was the same as Tenten, he couldn't see. However, when he activated the byakugan, Naruto's chakra network, though a little bit faint, was still visible up in the trees, so just like the 100 times they tried this exercise, so far Naruto's chakra control didn't allow him to suppress his chakra entirely. "You could perhaps fool the sharingan, Naruto; but not the byakugan. With the byakugan, I don't need to be looking straight at you, quite the contrary to the sharingan" – Said Neji out loud for the blond to listen, before said person appeared and mumbled incoherent words that only Neji could understand, from being accustomed to Naruto complaining about stupid doujutsus.

After that, for the remainder of Neji's time before he had to take over for Anko, he and Naruto had some light sparing and even some low level ninjutsu to spice things up. However, when a fight between rivals, one couldn't hold his own and start using the stronger ones. Suddenly, Neji started with the hand signs for **Doton Retsudo Tenshou **(Earth Release: Revolving Split Earth Palm Jutsu) and instantly, all rocks nearby were thrown against Naruto who in turn, took his trench knifes and began spinning, thus forming his tornado cutter technique and turning all the rocks to shreds. Instantly, Naruto did some hand seals and shouted **Fuuton Repphushou **(Wind Release: Gale Wind Palm Jutsu), thus sending Neji flying to where Anko was waiting. "Ah, Neji, so nice of you to stop by; my time is up and it's now yours" – Said Anko before smiling and walking away, leaving a grumpy Hyuuga to complain about stupid winds and stupid blond who always win in ninjutsu.

This routine went on and on until the day was finally upon them. According to Neji, who by the way improved his byakugan range, spotted a group of bandits carrying all sorts of weapons and heading towards the warehouse. Little did they know, though, that the path they chosen were filled with hundreds of well-placed traps and that they'd be walking towards their doom. Anko instructed her team to behave like nothing has happened, in order to lure them to the traps. Truth to the team's cunning plan, the team of bandits walked right in the area genjutsu which affected their vision, thus making all of them fall inside the huge holes or getting pierced with hundred shurikens. In the little space of a minute, all that could be heard were screams and the sound of kunais piercing the human flesh, which to Anko was quite amusing (**AN: What can I say, she is a sadistic kunoichi**).

However when the sound died down, the Konoha group could see four shadows approaching and became stiff. There were two ways for anyone to survive the traps and that were either luck or ninja training and the group definitely knew it was the ladder which meant that there would be another fighting involved. True to their worries, four Kumo-nins approached the group and all of them carried smiley faces. "Well, it seems you all did us a favor, by eliminating these bandits for us. By doing this, you managed to reduce our work load to only killing you guys" – Explained one of the enemies. The group from Konoha wasn't stupid and the enemy's mission was easy to figure out. The enemy disguised themselves and mingled with the bandits so that when the time came, they would be able to destroy the warehouse, thus hindering Bird Country's army greatly.

"Ok, team, wait until they attack. Their mission is to attack without worrying at causing a war, but that doesn't mean that we can respond in equal force. Naruto and Neji, get in the front, you two will be our shields for their first attacks. First of all, Neji give us a quick assessment of their skills and chakra" – Said Anko to which Neji nodded and activated the byakugan. "All four of them are chunnin level ninjas with raiton elemental chakra. Only one of them has fuuton and that happens to be the one on the right. Their chakras capacity, although slightly high, isn't above Tenten's level" – Explained Neji to which Anko smiled and settled the course of action.

"Great. Tenten, you will take on the fuuton user, since you have an elemental advantage. The rest of you just choose one to fight. Remember, though, if one of you are in danger, the other one will arrive to protect, just like every time we did. Now, Naruto would you do the honors?" – Asked Anko to which the blond nodded and initiated a fast series of hand seals, before screaming **Fuuton Kyomou Shippu **(Wind Release: Fierce Hurricane Jutsu). What came next could only be described as one of the most potent wind blasts ever witnessed by his team. The enemy, though, didn't even see the wind coming until they were already flying in different ways. "Okay, although that was bit overkill, it got the job done. Now, each of you choose one of them and eliminate them" – Shouted Anko to which the group nodded, before rushing towards their destinations.

Neji arrived first and decided to wait for the opponent to get up. After all, above the ninja duty, the Hyuuga clan was famous for its pride amongst other things. When the enemy got up, he looked at the byakugan eyes and immediately wondered how he would be rewarded back in Kumo for capturing the byakugan. "You'll die here Hyuuga, then I'll take your eyes and return to Kumo" – Shouted the man as he fell into a battle stance. Neji, however, smirked and replied. "I've got one thing to say to that. You're in my field of divination" – Said Neji but before the man could reply, Neji was already in front of him, delivering the jyuuken sequence of 128 tenketsus.

When Tenten arrived, her opponent was already standing and didn't waste efforts, thus charging Tenten. The girl, for her part, summoned a sword and defended the blow before swinging the weapon, making a deep cut on the man's chunnin vest. "You shouldn't attack blindly like that, you know. You'll end up dead in seconds"- Said Tenten as she made some hand seals and screamed **Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu **(Fire Release: Fire Dragon Jutsu). The fire dragon didn't hit the target, but the man's arms were badly burned, thus hindering its usage. The man knew he had the disadvantage here, so he didn't resort to ninjutsu, instead he focused chakra to his feet and charged Tenten now faster than before.

Although was difficult to follow the man's movements, Tenten didn't need to worry, since she knew he would have to come near her to land a blow, so she summoned two wakizashis for mobility. True to her plan, when the guy appeared right in front of her to deliver a punch, Tenten was faster and was already swinging her swords downwards. Meaningless to say the man was dead before he fell on the ground. Keeping her swords inside the scroll, Tenten looked up to see Neji walking casually towards her.

Anko's foe, though, wasn't easy to beat. Her snakes weren't an option simply because the man was immune to poisons, being a poison expert himself. However, when she thought that he was a long range user, hence why she began fighting close ranged, she tossed that thought aside upon receiving a direct punch which hit the left side of her face, thus making her bleed a little bit. Going for ninjutsu, Anko made some hand seals and screamed **Doton Doryuudan no Jutsu **(Earth Release: Earth Dragon Mud Projectiles Jutsu). The mud projectiles charged towards the man who smirked and made some hand seals, thus creating a lightning barrier.

Now resorting to genjutsu, Anko was becoming desperate and without options, since not only the guy dispelled it but also locked her inside one, obliging her to dispel it. However, because of her worry about the genjutsu, the enemy chose to attack her and land a kick right at her stomach, making her lose quite a bunch of air. "You can't possibly be a chunnin, who are you?" – Shouted Anko, earning a smile from her opponent, who in turn nodded and presented himself. "No, I'm not, but seeing your face when I pretty much countered everything you threw at me was marvelous. Allow me to present myself to you Anko-san, my name is Tenroku Kusashi, or in case you read the bingo book, **Ikazuchi Shikaku** (Thunder Assassin)" – Presented the man, before smiling upon seeing Anko's eyes widen with fear.

Anko had her reasons to be frightened of this guy. According to the bingo book, this man was responsible for the majority of the assassination missions in Kumo. He got this nickname from the Raikage, because of the fact that Kusashi took only a couple of seconds to kill a man he was ordered to. He is an elite jounin, thus not within Anko's abilities to be on par with the guy. "Yes, now that you know who I am, it's time to die Anko-san. You'll be my 100th victim so far, congratulations" – Said Kusashi, before he made some hand seals before he created a sword forged by pure lightning chakra and proceeded to kill Anko. "I won't let you, **Raiton Genshougun **(Lightning Release: Lighting Force Jutsu)"** – **Shouted Naruto as the energy hitted Kusashi straight on, before all he could do was to scream.

While struggling to withstand the pain inside his bones, Kusashi eyed his attacker and his eyes widened to impossible amounts. The man was a splitting image to one of the village's worst enemies, the Yondaime Hokage. Also, he was using a Kumo kinjutsu. Naruto was vivid upon seeing Anko getting her ass kicked by this chunnin and instantly, his blood boiled with intensity. He wasn't about to lose one of his precious person anytime soon. Anko for her time thanked Kami for Naruto's technique, before her jounin instincts rushed in and she stopped Naruto before he got to kill him. "Naruto, stop, he's finished by now" – Said Anko before landing one hand on top of his shoulders. The blond hesitated a bit, but calmed down, thus stopping the technique.

"Thank you Naruto, you saved my life. He was an A ranked shinobi, Naruto. If Kumo learned that he died by your attack, Kumo would barge in our doors demanding answers. I just inserted a death poison, he'll die in short time, don't worry. Now, how was your fight?" – Asked Anko to which Naruto breathed a little bit and was about to speak when two presences appeared right next to them. Anko was about to attack the new arrivals, when she saw two little similar wolves appeared looking at her. "Anko-sensei, allow me to introduce the **rensei **(drilling) brothers. They were the ones who dealed with my opponent" – Said Naruto, smiling before the brothers spoke (the second one completing what the first one said). "The man wasn't…much of a challenge….only one of us…would be enough to beat him" – Said both in unison.

"Thanks a lot you guys, you can rest" – Said Naruto to which the wolves nodded, before dispelling themselves. Anko for her part locked the killed man inside a scroll and sent to Konoha so that Minato knows what to do. She explained what happened and her concerns over the mission and Kumo's objection to Kusashi being killed by Konoha.

* * *

**---In Konoha---**

Once done with the paperwork for today, before going to visit his wife at the hospital, Anko's snake suddenly appeared and dropped a scroll to be delivered to the Yondaime. Minato cursed yet another paper to read, but since it involved his son, he unrolled the scroll and turned to read.

_Hokage-sama,_

_During one of the missions for the Bird Country's Daimyou, we ended up facing Kumo's Ikazuchi Shikaku. The guy was the toughest opponent I ever fought and in the end, I wasn't able to kill him. He was about to kill me when Naruto rescued him with a canalized lightning attack, thus frying the man from inside out. I also injected poison inside his veins so that Kumo can't see that their elite jounin wasn't killed by one of their kinjutsu. Anyway, the body is inside this scroll for you Hokage-sama to decide what to do with him. _

_Anko. _

Minato was astonished to see his son killing an A ranked shinobi, but tossed it aside before summoning Kakashi. "What can I do for you Minato-sensei?" – Asked the Anbu to which Minato nodded and responded. "Take this corpse to analysis and tell them to write me a report on the cause of death. Treat this with most secrecy possible, if words get out, we'll have another bloody incident with Kumo to handle" – Said Minato to which Kakashi took the scroll, before vanishing once again. How Naruto was able to increase his headache, he didn't want to know, since he would visit his wife even if a damn bijuu was to attack Konoha.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Kushina was having dinner and Yuugao was just excusing herself to give the couple some privacy, but Minato asked her to sit for a while, since he had news from Naruto. "I just received news from Anko who said that Naruto manage to kill Kumo's Ikazuchi Shikaku" – Said Minato, before he saw Yuugao widening her eyes and dropping her jaw a little bit. That couldn't be true, Naruto is strong, but in no way, he could beat a man of this level, it's just impossible, thought Yuugao. "According to the message, Anko was going to be killed by said man when Naruto used a lightning attack, thus killing the man" – Explained Minato, making Yuugao relax somewhat. Of course, she was relieved that Naruto was okay, but her kunoichi pride got in the way of things and an immediate jealousy fell upon her. After all, they were rivals apart from being lovers.

Kushina was oblivious to the conversation, so she changed the topic and asked her husband about his work. Minato for his part scratched his head and told that this week, several important missions were being performed, that needed his immediate attention. He told about some of Suna's activities and the Sandaime's worry of a future relation breaking between the two villages. Minato also expressed concerns over the treacherous snake and his recent activities towards founding a new hidden village. "All of these are pretty much happening altogether. Sarutobi thinks that it won't be longer than two years, before Konoha will have to endure either war or invasion against another hidden village. Iwa and Kumo are neutral to all this, but that could change given the right incentive" – Explained Minato to which Yuugao and Kushina became serious, acknowledging the treat.

* * *

**---With Naruto and his team---**

After returning to the castle and explaining everything that occurred without using ninja terms, the group eyed their client to see how he would interpret this act. "Certainly, Fang Country must have hired ninjas from Kumogakure to aid him against my country. However, since you were able to stop them for damaging the warehouse, I guess no harm fell upon this country. Now, the bastard Daimyou from Fang Country sent a letter addressed to me in hopes of reaching a negotiation, thus ending this conflict. I don't need to tell you all that he hopes to kill me once I cross the border. I don't have a choice, though, since he took the initiative. If I back out, he will take it as disrespect and I don't know what he's capable of. So, I have to go. However, the man could easily wipe out whatever guards I take with me, so I pretty much cornered here" – Explained the Daimyou, letting the group sink in the information before continuing.

"Your four are my best choices of survival once I cross the border. So, your last mission will be escort me to Fang Country as my bodyguards and protect me from harm" – Said the client to which Anko nodded and accepted whatever mission the Daimyou wanted. "We'd gladly protect you Daimyou-sama, however I'm sure you know that once we leave, the enemy will take the opportunity and try kidnapping your daughter for leverage. It would be safer to send her to Konoha so that she would be better protected" – Advised Anko to which the Daimyou nodded and asked about the needed procedure. "We have a team stationed near that could escort her to Konoha right away" – Explained Anko.

"I'm ashamed to say I didn't think about my daughter's situation in all this. I appreciate your concern Anko-san and please tell the Hokage my thanks" – Said the Daimyou, earning a nod from Anko, who in turn paged for the backup team to report. Instantly, four jounins appeared inside the place, one Maito Gai, Shiranui Genma, Yuhhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma. Since Asuma was the lead of the operation, he approached Anko and asked what the jounin needed. "Asuma, my team will be escorting the Daimyou to Fang Country to meet with their Daimyou, however, he is concerned for his daughter's welfare hence why sending her to Konoha for protection is our top priority right now. Be aware that Kumo-nins are on the loose and may try to abduct his daughter" – Said Anko to which Asuma nodded and proceeded to return to Konoha with Shiho will Anko's team went with the Daimyou.

Once outside the castle, the client was watching his escort with great interest. He was able to attend the chunnin exams that day and was able to witness these three shinobis displaying superb skills. Also, the jounin was there as well, so the man actually felt safe for an instant. The group travelled with Anko on the front, followed by Naruto and Tenten on the client's sides with Neji on the back, so that he could see behind with his all-seeing eye. Their trip would take awfully a day to reach the border, so the Daimyou chose the time to explain to the group how this little conflict started and how it became like a snowball ever since. According to the man, Bird and Fang Country used to be in peace with each other until the fateful day when one of Bird Country's merchant caravans were attacked by samurais from Fang Country. The reason of the attack was taking control of a certain route that would link Fang Country's commerce to other countries and expand the country's economic department.

Eventually, the two countries tried to reach towards a negotiation, but neither of their respective daimyos wanted anything to do with the other for a while and a cold war began. The client explained that should this negotiation fails, both countries will have no other choice but to engage in a war and the one who won, would control the majority of the commerce routes. Anko asked about the Daimyou's perspective about Fang Country actually wanting to sign a treaty or just lure him into a trap to which the man responded that he didn't know. Fang Country's Daimyou was always a sick twisted fool who happens to be delusional with power and money. Neji eventually asked about the route they would be taking and that Anko showed them the map indicated. "I believe it's best we take another route to enter the castle without having to face any foes on the way" – Said Neji to which all the group nodded and stopped to look at the map for a while, before discovering an old route that happened to link the two countries, but it was just about sea level and the group would have to climb quite a big mountain.

The Daimyou was a samurai at heart so he didn't oppose to climbing mountains if it meant that he would arrive at the castle unscathed and also after arriving at the castle, no one would dare try anything from fear of not only wrecking the place, but also show the enemy that he deliberately attacked first. The alternate route began a few miles ago from a bifurcation of the main route and now the group was passing by a dense forest, which worked to their advantage, since this way the enemy wouldn't be able to track them and attack. After the forest, a little lake was next but since there were some rocks to step, the Daimyou was able to pass without needing to be carried. Eventually, the huge mountain was upon them and above the mountain, they could see the Daimyou's castle even if it was just the last floor. Normally, the Daimyou would want to climb on his own, but the circumstances showed him otherwise, so Naruto was the one who carried him up faster so that the enemy wouldn't be able to catch them off guard.

After taking their time to hide behind some bushes, Neji used his byakugan in order to scout how many people are guarding the place and if Kumo-nins or ninjas in general were located within the castle's premises. "Anko-sensei, it seems the man is crazy, but he came prepared in case of an invasion. Outside the castle, there are only his samurai guards, but once anyone enter through the front door; two Kumo-nins are taking shifts to guard the place. Also, I found several chakra presences scattered inside the castle" – Reported Neji to which Anko nodded. "Can you find a place where we could enter undetected by the Kumo-nins?" – Asked Anko to which Neji focused more on his byakugan in hopes of searching for a window without anyone nearby. Luckily, he found that the ceiling would be a place to start. According to Neji, the ceiling was guarded by one ninja and that was it.

"Okay team, we cannot enter the castle together since the Daimyou is with us, therefore Tenten and I will stay to guard him in case we run into trouble. Naruto, go with Neji to the ceiling and subdue the enemy fast either using precise lightning strikes or focusing on certain tenketsus. Once done, enter inside the castle and take out as many enemies as you can without alerting the others. Remember your stealth training Naruto. Neji, with your byakugan, you can sense their presence and also know if they are able to find you two or not, use it. The Fang Daimyou is located at the furthest room in the back of the castle, so he won't be alerted by anyone. I happen to carry some of these, in case we need it. Its intercoms; place it on your ear and set it on channel leaf. Do not worry about them tracking the signal since this will be a secure link between us. Once you're done head back here and we'll enter casually from the front door" – Explained Anko, before Naruto and Neji nodded and looked at each other, before disappearing out of a sudden, much to Tenten's dismay and Anko's giggling. "Boys; why do they always want to show off their abilities?" – Asked Tenten rhetorically.

The Daimyou expressed his concerns over their plan, but Anko smiled and said that Neji and Naruto would get the job done in no time. Since, even if the enemy is stronger, Neji's byakugan and Naruto's stealth are enough to take all of them without anyone knowing they are even inside the building, earning a nod from the client. "I just hope you're right on this Anko-san" – Said the man.

* * *

**---With Naruto and Neji---**

Climbing the castle fast, Neji and Naruto surprised the Kumo-nin stationed at the ceiling and Naruto used his **Raiton Raikou Dageki **(Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Jutsu) and subdued the enemy fast and precise. After that, Neji used his byakugan and once spied on the ventilation shaft that happened to be their only way in. After certifying their clearance, Neji yanked the little door and both entered inside the castle in record time, before voicing it to Anko outside. Neji managed to see two Kumo-nins approaching the area, so he and Naruto moved to a storage room and waited for them to turn around so Neji would use jyuuken and send them to unconscious. Once the ninjas turned their back to the door, Neji used his jyuuken to the base of their necks, thus securing their way in. Once they positioned the Kumo-nins inside the storage room, Naruto tied them together and add some chakra removal seal, thus killing them in a short while.

"Okay Naruto, in this floor that are only two more shinobis down the corridor on your left. They are currently playing cards so it shouldn't be hard to subdue them as well" – Explained Neji to which Naruto nodded, before both of them moved forward to the designated room and spotted the two chunnins laughing about something. Suddenly, Naruto used his lightning attack called **Raiton Dageki Mahi** (Lightning Release: Shock Paralysis Jutsu) and electrocuted one of them to death while Neji focused on the other's center tenketsus, thus killing his one.

"Anko-sensei, last floor cleared of all enemies, four of them. Proceeding to the next floor"- Communicated Naruto through the intercom, before locking the other two together with the ones before. "Naruto, the only way of going downstairs is to leave this floor from that window and enter the window below, it's currently empty and shouldn't be anyone there" – Said Neji to which Naruto nodded and soon, both of them were at the next floor, cleaning the enemies who know were samurais, only now instead of killing them, Naruto and Neji only sent them to unconsciousness and tied them all together inside another storage room. Once all the samurais were hindered unconscious, Naruto took out one Kumo-nin who was passing by with the shock paralysis technique.

Meanwhile, the group below the castle was hidden, just listening to what was happening inside the castle. The Daimyou was speechless every time either Naruto or Neji's voice appeared, telling the updates. The man was impressed with the ninja's abilities to infiltrate places and vowed to contract Konoha for further missions. "What did I tell you Daimyou-sama? Naruto and Neji are the best at this coordinate infiltration. Their teamwork is flawless" – Said Anko to which the client nodded and focused on Neji's voice next, telling Naruto to take on the two Kumo-nins on the left while he took on the other two from the right and then Naruto's voice acknowledging and hindering them unconscious. "The third floor is secured, Anko-sensei, moving…on to the last…one" – Said Neji from the intercom, but his voice betrayed him. His chakra was being depleted fast because of the byakugan.

"Neji, take this soldier pill. I won't need it" – Said Naruto offering it to his partner in crime to which Neji looked at Naruto and nodded, before ingesting the pill and feeling his chakra recovering. "Okay, the last floor is the hardest to come by. The two Kumo-nins at the door aren't much strong, but I don't think we'll be able to pass through three jounins located in front of the Daimyou's office. What can we do, Anko-sensei?" – Asked Neji, through the intercom. Anko thought about it, before voicing her plan. "Neji, you and Naruto take out the two Kumo-nins at the front door and then open the door for me to enter, Tenten will remain hidden and protect the Daimyou" – Buzzed Anko through the intercom to which Neji turned to Naruto and both nodded. True to their plan, the two Kumo-nins were sent to the ground after a lightning burst and canalized jyuuken. Upon opening the door, Naruto was surprised to see Anko there and no guards, but waved it off since they are probably trying to fight some poisonous snakes.

* * *

**---At Konoha---**

Minato was doing his paperwork when four jounins and a woman entered his office. Minato was surprised to see the backup team for Naruto's mission back already and asked about the identity of the girl. Asuma, being the leader, reported. "Hokage-sama, Anko contacted us and told about a chance of a negotiation between both countries, however she feared the enemy country would try kidnapping the client's daughter so Anko asked us to bring her here, in case the enemy tries anything" – Said Asuma to which Minato nodded and ordered Kurenai to find a hotel for Shiho and stay with her until needed otherwise, before dismissing the backup team.

Minato was surprised about Anko's decision, but couldn't help but applaud the girl's choosing on this matter. The client was definitely impressed with Anko's idea that he sent his daughter to us for protection against the enemy. These set of missions proved to be quite the test to Anko and her team and, surprisingly so, the team managed to complete all the missions settled for them, which is quite a feat for all the integrants of the team. He would gladly reserve some time to read all the reports.

* * *

**---Back with the team---**

Anko, Neji and Naruto eyed the jounin with care. Anko's idea revolved around a snake genjutsu recently created with the help of genjutsu mistress Kurenai and hoped that the enemy would fall for it long enough for the boys to subdue the jounins to unconscious. Immediately asking the boys to close their eyes, Anko initiated the hand seal sequence needed. After she finished, the words were like whisperings in the air "**Magen Hebi Goumon** (Demonic Illusion Snake Torture)". Suddenly, in front of the ninjas appeared the biggest naja snake they ever encountered, before the cobra's acid began crawling up their skin, dissolving them to the amount of bones appearing. The ninjas were so distracted with the snake, that Naruto and Neji didn't have trouble sending them to unconscious. "Tenten, would you please bring the client inside, someone here wants to discuss certain points" – Said Anko through the intercom to which Tenten nodded and took the Daimyou inside the now empty castle.

Inside the Fang Daimyou's office, a big bawd man wearing an eye patch was signing some documents referring his future plans to Bird Country. If things go according to plan, than the Bird Daimyou's head will be delivered for him in a silver platter. Suddenly, though, his door opened and the four people entered. However, the Fang Daimyou paled upon recognizing the smiling figure of the Bird Daimyou entering his office followed by what seemed to be three Konoha-nins. It didn't take more than a second to realize that his plan failed and that the Kumo-nins weren't able to neither kidnap the man's daughter nor kill the man. "Daimyou-dono, I'm here in response to your letter sent a few days ago about a negotiation, I'm all ears to your proposition" – Asked the Bird Daimyou, earning a snarl from the Fang Daimyou, since he was cornered now and didn't have any other choice other than negotiate with the man.

* * *

**---Two days later---**

After being cleared by the client, the Konoha group rushed towards their home village. There has been a while since they left and all of them wished to return as soon as possible. The deal was mostly beneficial to Bird Country of course, since the enemy didn't really have any route possession other than one which leaded to Bird Country, so the bird Daimyou sold a couple of routes towards Wave and Sea Country in exchange for no longer bothering Bird Country nor its citizens. Actually, the routes he sold was clearly not the best ones as both Wave and Sea Country has only a few good to trade and not all of them were beneficial to Fang Country. Stopping for a while, the group was able to see the enormous gates that separated Fire Country from the Hidden Village in the Leaves.

It was safe to say, though, that all four of them were in need of a special vacation of at least a week before their next mission which meant Naruto being finally able to eat some ramen and get to clean the Hokage's wallet as well as, obviously, spend time with his family and his beloved Yuugao-chan. Anko missed Iruka a lot and was already picturing the number of things they would be doing inside the bedroom walls, not to mention being finally able to eat some dango and also clean Iruka's wallet for good. Neji and Tenten were just happy to come home to their families and nothing more.


	16. Little Sister

**Chapter 16 – Little Sister**

After returning to the village, Team Anko wished nothing more than rest for a while. However, like every ninja after a mission, they must undergo a report addressed to the Hokage. That being said, all four of them were in front of the Hokage, explaining in minor details how the majority of the missions went and delivering the letter of the clients appreciating for their services. Minato for his part, managed to see that having to report almost two months of missions all at once was really taxing on his peers, but rules were rules after all. Nevertheless, Minato was both proud at the team for beginning a new precedent and proud of his son who played a key role in all the missions, alongside Neji.

Minato also came to know about the addiction of the Wolf Contract for Konoha and could only imagine what the wolf boss saw in Naruto that earned the entire clan's trust. When Anko and her team finished the explanation, they couldn't hold their sigh in dismay at living everything that happened once again, which in turn, earned laughter from the Hokage. Minato joked about seeing his son getting tired for the first time, before seeing said blond scowling the hokage since he happened to be doing missions non-stop for two whole months. "Easy, Naruto; I'm just playing. Well, I'm pleased to tell all four of you that the clients were most pleased with the outcome of the missions and displayed their enthusiasm in contracting Konoha for further missions. Your money will be transferred to your accounts as of right now and I'm pleased to grant all of you one week and a half vacation enjoy" – Said Minato, earning a star look from everyone before vanishing, well except for Naruto.

"What can I do for you Naruto?" – Asked the hokage, though he was also holding his own urge as in not rush and go hug his son after not seeing him for two whole months. Needless to say, Naruto jumped at his father and gave him a big hug, showing how much he missed the big blond. "Dad, I missed all of you so much. How is Kaa-san? Is the baby all right? How is Yuugao-chan doing?" – Bombarded the little blond with questions, earning a smile from his father, before Minato responded that everything was okay and that the baby would be born shortly.

After explaining about the abilities he acquired during the trip, Naruto explained to his father about how he managed to get the wolf contract Needless to say, Minato was impressed upon knowing that Naruto's obsession with the full moon was actually linked to an old legend from the Wolf Clan. Minato was, in fact, considering teaching Naruto about the toad contract sometime soon, since Naruto would've already have the necessary chakra capacity to do the technique, however since the blond acquired the wolf contract, that meant that the toad contract would take a while for the third generation to sign. Misao would have to be at least two or three years more than Naruto's current age, so as to have the necessary chakra capacity to summon.

"Naruto, go visit your mother at the hospital, she is worried like hell" – Said Minato, earning a nod from Naruto, who in turn, greeted his father goodbye, before vanishing within a little typhoon, thus leaving Minato alone to smile at his son's antics. The hokage looked at the reports once more, before remembering about something important pertaining one jounin from Kumo. Yesterday, he received a letter from the Raikage, expressing their contentment at returning the body of Kumo's Thunder Assassin and assured Minato that no harm would fall upon their relationship. The Raikage also expressed that the killing occurred within the limits of the mission, so it wouldn't be fair to initiate more bloodshed because of pure mission completion. Minato was relived to say the least, since he expected the Lightning Shadow to use this as leverage and demand something in return.

* * *

**===At the Hospital===**

After asking for his mother's room, Naruto stopped to get some flowers and moved towards the designated room. On the way, he wondered if Yuugao's team was sent on a mission, since he forgot to ask his father about it. He wondered if he could pay a visit to her house and see if she's there. Naruto wasn't a stranger to the Uzuki family, from already being introduced by Yuugao. Upon arriving at the room, he knocked on the door, only waiting for his mother to say the word, to which she did. Right after Naruto opened the door, he saw his mother there laying on the bed and surprisingly, Yuugao was there as well, talking to her. "Naruto-kun, you're home!" – Screamed Kushina as she forgot all about her pregnancy and jumped towards hugging her son with all intensity, earning a smile from Yuugao.

"Kaa-san, I can'….breathe" – Whispered Naruto, before being released from his mother's hold. He gave her one of the bouquets he brought for her and asked about how Misao was doing to which Kushina explained that she was a wild kicker. After that, Naruto went towards his girlfriend and handed her the last bouquet, as well as saying how much he missed both of them. Yuugao appreciated the flowers and explained how she remained together with Naruto's mother for the duration of her pregnancy, thus being able to learn a lot of 'interested' stuff.

Upon hearing that, Naruto's eyes jumped out of his sockets and he turned to complain to his mother as to why did she tell this to Yuugao to which Kushina responded by saying that embarrassing her son was one of her favorite hobbies. "Clearly, you didn't inherit your prankster side from your father, Naruto-kun. Although he learned a lot from me, the master throne is still mine" – Said Kushina with visible pride, earning a sigh in dismay from Naruto and laughter from Yuugao. After a while, Naruto explained about his missions and new jutsus that were added to his arsenal. Kushina, though, didn't want for her son and his girlfriend to be shy with each other, so she told them to go and enjoy the day together as a couple. Needless to say, both nodded and in seconds, Naruto and Yuugao were on the hospital roof, talking and sharing experiences that happened since the blond left for his missions. Naruto explained about the new jutsus he learned from Asuma's scroll and his father's book on raiton ninjutsu. He, lastly, showed the wolf tattoo and explained about how he managed to earn the wolf clan summoning contract.

Yuugao was astonished at how much happened in only two months and was ashamed to say she didn't evolve as much as her rival /boyfriend. Upon expressing it, Naruto smiled and said that he was miles behind his girlfriend's level, seeing that he was just recently promoted to chunnin and she was already a veteran Anbu member. "How silly you are Naruto-kun. You just can't compare yourself to someone who had more time training than you did. Instead, you should be comparing with myself at your age and you can be certain that compared to me back then, you're a lot better" – Said Yuugao to which Naruto looked at her for a while, before giving her a kiss at her left cheek, earning a blushed face from Yuugao, before they were both kissing each other at the lips. Just as before, this was such a new experience for both of them and both of them were enjoying each second of their kiss together. They both knew that their relationship would evolve at the right time, so they weren't worried about having to speed thing up a bit. Eventually, Yuugao said that she was supposed to go to Anbu Headquarters in order to fill some reports and said her goodbye to Naruto with the promise of meeting each other tomorrow for lunch or maybe dinner.

After leaving the hospital, Naruto wondered about what he could do now that he was home. He considered simply going home and taking a nice long shower, before taking a rest, but he remembered that he had someone to talk to as soon as he got home. Asuma-sensei was waiting for him to give his comments on the twin knife style of fighting and maybe some new techniques that could be added to the style. However, he cursed himself from not knowing where to meet the bearded man. He walked for a couple of miles throughout the village, but found nothing of Asuma. He was about to call it quits, when his eyes caught the sight of the man holding hands, apparently, with Kurenai. Naruto smiled and wondered how many things changed ever since he left the village.

Now, even though he managed to find the bearded man, the man was occupied right now so Naruto understood and turned to walk away, however he was surprised that it was Asuma who called him and asked him to accompany them for some lunch. Naruto, at first, said he didn't want to bother the couple, but both Kurenai and Asuma thought nothing of it and insisted for his company in order for the blond talk about his set of missions as well as share his notes with Asuma on his style. After the couple and Naruto arrived at the ramen shop, they placed their respective orders before Naruto began explaining about his missions and the conflicts between Mist missing-nins in Wave Country and how his team managed to avoid a war declaration by avoiding direct contact against Kumo's shinobis. "Sounds like you faced quite a lot of shinobis, Naruto. The backup team wasn't attacked, so we didn't get to see our enemies much. I can see, though, that your team faced a lot of challenges together" – Said Asuma, earning a nod from Naruto.

"Yes, in fact I and Neji managed to hold our ground while Anko-sensei and Tenten finished the rest of the enemies. I even got to see about the next elemental ninjutsu I will attempt to learn" – Stated Naruto, only waiting for the question that soon followed, but it came from Kurenai. "Another element? Don't you have two affinities already? Why are you so interested in having another?" – Asked Kurenai, though it was more directed to the fact that she wasn't so into ninjutsu, but instead a genjutsu user and she just didn't understand a ninja's urge for more ninjutsu. Asuma knew enough from his time together with Kurenai to understand how much the woman displease ninjutsu over usage, but he chose to hear Naruto's response, before giving the blond his opinion about it.

"I know I already have fuuton and raiton as my affinities, but if you think about it, I have a weakness against katon ninjutsu, so should I encounter one in the future, I will have a disadvantage against my opponent. After the team's mission against Mist missing-nins, I saw them using suiton ninjutsu and thought about getting to learn defensive type ninjutsu in order to block fire attacks or maybe, learn one offensive attack to surprise my opponent." – Explained Naruto, earning a nod in approval from Asuma who concurred with the blond's assessment; however Kurenai continued to show a face of displeasure at someone not giving genjutsu enough respect and Naruto sighed in dismay over seeing this. "Don't take me wrong Kurenai, genjutsu sure is important but I do not have the chakra control needed to use high level genjutsu, hence why I chose, instead, to focus more on dispelling them, rather than learning how to perform them. Also, illusions just isn't my style of fighting" – Explained Naruto once again, in order to get Kurenai to open up again and stop criticizing him for not wanting to use illusion techniques.

Kurenai did let go for a while and Asuma took this opportunity to change the subject, asking Naruto about his notes on the twin knife style to which Naruto smiled. "Oh yes, well I made some notes about it right below yours, but don't worry, I didn't mess it up a line, although I know that there is no way a chunnin's ideas could compete with yours, Asuma-sensei. Also, I changed the technique **Fuuton Gufuukiri **(Wind Release: Hurricane Cutter Jutsu), more precisely, the blade's position. While in your technique, the blade are stationed vertically, I tend to bend the blades a little, thus improving the technique both offensively and defensively, since not only improve the attack area, but also increases the wind field around you" – Said Naruto, earning a smile from Asuma who took the scroll and promised to take a look, before talking to the blond one more time about it. "Naruto, you shouldn't diminish your abilities into thinking that your thoughts are of no importance. When I was called by the Fire Lord to act as one of his guards, I was already a jounin, but he called me based on my chunnin career" – Said Asuma to which Naruto looked at him in amazement, before displaying an assuring smile, that said he would try improving whatever needed to be done.

After the orders arrived, the three ate in silence for a while, before Kurenai asked to Naruto about where Anko was, now that they returned. Naruto responded by saying that she was to meet with Iruka, though when he wasn't sure. Kurenai, eventually, mentioned that she needed to get back to her genin team and that she would teach them some teamwork exercises, earning a nod from Asuma who also had to go to his team for some training, thus resulting in the couple saying goodbyes to the blond. Naruto greeted them all before paying for the bill and leaving towards his house to rest up a bit. He sure missed taking the time to relax every now and then and he knew that his home relaxed him immensely. Sure, he was sleeping inside the Daimyou's castle, but while on a mission, anything could happen hence why the team was given less hours of sleeping and more time to perform missions.

* * *

**the Namikaze Household===**

Upon entering inside, he found it to be quite empty, but he knew the reason. His mother was weeks away from having Misao, so she was, now, sleeping at the hospital for 24/7 checkups and his father was trapped at the Hokage's office, so he wouldn't get home for at least some good three hours, which was all good for Naruto who in turn went to his room and took a nice and relaxing shower. As he let the water wash away everything that happened in two months; the heavy strain on his muscles, the little time sleeping. As he looked up, Naruto fixed his eyes on the falling water pretty much in trance over imagining everything that occurred during his travel. The people he met, the people he killed in battle, the sights, the missions, everything passed through Naruto's mind and the blond was smiling in relief that he would have a week and a half to rest his body to normality. After the shower and some changing in clothes, Naruto stopped near his bed and just closed his eyes; before losing control of his body functions, thus letting gravity run its course…he was asleep even before his body landed on the bed.

Three hours later, Minato was getting ready to leave the office and go home. He was overjoyed that Naruto came home safe and couldn't wait to see the blond back home once again. Because of Kushina staying at the hospital, Minato was alone at home from time to time and those times he missed his family more than anything. Not having a family to rely on when he was little ended up creating a deep enough scar and when Minato entered into an empty house, it sort of reminded him of the pain it was to not having someone to wait for you at home. He missed Naruto a lot, so he would cook some dinner and enjoy some talk with his son. Just as he was leaving, he returned to the office since he forgot to take one scroll that he found at the library once and thought about his son.

Since he has a hiraishin seal right next to his house, it didn't take more than a second for the hokage to arrive at his house, before he got to open the door and see Naruto's footwear on top of the welcome carpet. The house, though, was as silent as it was without Naruto and Minato wondered if the blond was in his room doing something. As he went up, he noticed the light inside the room to be off and wondered if the blond was taking a nap. Once he opened the door, he couldn't help but smile at the scenery in front of him. His son was sleeping so profusely that he was drooling. The Yondaime thought about waking him up, but he damn well know how tired his son was after doing two months worth of missions non-stop. However, when he was about to close the door, he heard his son grumbling / asking who was at the door and Minato chose to enter and explain that he wanted to spend some time with his son.

Naruto nodded and got up before rubbing his eyes a little bit. "Okay dad, sorry about sleeping; it's just that it's been so long since I could just sleep without a care in the world and I kind of lost trace of time" – Said Naruto, earning a nod from Minato who in turn caressed his son's hair for a while, before responding. "No need to apologize son, you sure deserve the rest from what your team accomplished. It's just that it has been so long since you left and I wanted to share some time with you if I may" – Asked Minato, though Naruto didn't even need to nod in affirmative and got up and stood next to his father, before both blonds went downstairs and Naruto took a sit in front of the table while Minato prepared ramen for dinner. "So tell me, Naruto, have you improved in your lightning manipulation? Was the book helpful?" – Asked Minato to which Naruto nodded and explained to his father about being able to learn quite a few techniques as well as learn how to improve his raiton chakra better. "I'm sure, one day, I'll master the thunder ball cannon dad, just you wait" – Stated Naruto, though Minato wasn't surprised, but instead happy to get to hear his son's confident words once again.

"I like to hear that son, well I'd like to have a part in you mastering that technique and I happen to find this scroll at the library that could help you overcome the obstacle of the cannon part. Read it and tomorrow I'll help you complete the technique" – Said Minato, earning a look in wonder from the little blond who thought about it for a while and remembered wanting to test some theory that he found on the book his father gave him. Upon looking at the scroll, though, he found that the scroll possessed notes specifically for the thunder ball cannon technique. Actually, it contained more advanced theory behind the technique. According to the scroll, the technique behind the cannon was to focus lightning chakra directly behind the ball, thus shooting it forward. Once again the theory was simple, but if the technique really worked like in theory, Naruto wouldn't take as long to finish the god damn technique. Minato knew that face and laughed inside about the difference between theory and practice and how it sucks to do what the theory and don't get the result.

"Study for a while and tomorrow I'll help you finish the technique once and for all, now I guess you're tired right now son, so let's clean this up and retire for the day" – Said Minato, earning a nod from Naruto who in turn picked up his dishes and took it to the sink to clean. After ten minutes, the two blonds said goodnight to each other and both closed their respective room doors to sleep, however Naruto didn't intend to sleep anytime soon, simply because he had another chance at mastering that jutsu and he wouldn't rest until he read everything the scroll contained.

* * *

**===next day===**

The next day, father and son were at the house garden and Minato was watching as Naruto focused instantly on making the thunder ball, but that was the easy part and Naruto did already mastered it a long time ago. Now was the final phase of the technique. Naruto would have to propel the thunder ball like a cannon ball, by focusing large quantities of raiton chakra, thus igniting the cannon and firing the projectile. AS Naruto used more chakra, the ball was giving signs of becoming unstable, before Naruto dispelled it just like one million times before. Minato, however, smiled and figured out what was wrong with Naruto's attempt. He understood the damage of an unstable thunder ball if it backfired on the ninja, but what Naruto didn't know was that the technique actually involved making the thunder ball be unstable, before shooting it forward by expelling chakra.

Upon talking to Naruto about it, he asked for the blond to try one more time, now instead of dispelling the ball of energy, focus more raiton chakra and once the ball becomes unstable, shot it forward with chakra. Needless to say, Naruto was afraid of what the ball might do to his body if it backfired on him, however Naruto trusted his father, so he attempted one more time, but now he would do just like his father instructed. Instantly, he created the ball and now began pumping more raiton chakra to it, making it unstable. Just as the ball was about to explode in Naruto's hand, Minato shouted for Naruto to use chakra and shot the ball forward to which Naruto complied and used the necessary chakra, before screaming **Raiton Raikyuuhou **(Lightning Release: Thunder Ball Cannon Jutsu). Instantly, the ball was propelled forward a group of trees and destroyed all of them in seconds.

(**AN:** **In case you all noticed, I changed the name of the technique in Japanese, since I found a more realistic translation to use, plus the first one was too large**)

Naruto was flabbergasted for a moment, so he just froze his body in the technique position, partially refusing to believe that after three years trying this technique, he finally was able to complete it. However, that only lasted a few seconds since Naruto suddenly screamed in joy and amazement at being able to finally finish the technique. His father came, soon afterwards, congratulating the boy on his conquest, before they heard clap sounds from behind. When they turned, both of them were able to see that Kakashi was there applauding and carrying a smile on his face. He happened to arrive just moments before Naruto began focusing raiton chakra at the ball to make it unstable. Needless to say he was impressed with Naruto's growth in lightning manipulation and wondered if the boy would surpass both him and Minato any day now. "Congratulations Naruto, I came just in time to see it" – Said Kakashi, before Naruto rushed and went to hug his surrogate nii-san from not seeing him since he left for his missions.

After greeting the two blonds, Kakashi called Minato aside in order to discuss something that occurred, thus Naruto was left alone for a second. "Sensei, The Sandaime came to me and expressed his concerns over some actions from his ex-student" – Said Kakashi, earning a look in concern from Minato who didn't need to know which student Kakashi referred. He knew about Orochimaru's greed and he also knew how low he would be willing to fall to finish his goal. "What about the snake, Kakashi?" – Asked Minato.

"Sandaime believes that the rise of this new sound village has something to do with Orochimaru and his involvement with Rice Field Country's Daimyou. He believes that Orochimaru persuaded the Daimyou into forming a new hidden village, thus offering him false hope of power against other countries" – Stated Kakashi, before seeing Minato showing his thinking pose and frown his eyes in dismay. Truth be told, to the Yondaime, Orochimaru was, in fact, Konoha's worst enemy, simply because of his skills, as well as his knowledge of Konoha's doings. "Kakashi, assemble a meeting with the Sandaime, I want to talk to him about setting a long-term espionage mission towards Oto's actions" – Ordered Minato, to which Kakashi nodded and left, before Minato returned to his son, who was now resting on the grass, looking up the sky, but his look wasn't a happy, nor a normal one. It was quite the opposite and Minato feared that Naruto heard his conversation with Kakashi.

Upon approaching, Minato took a sit next to his son, before Naruto began the conversation. "Dad, how strong is Orochimaru and why someone deals with him yet, given his actions?" – Asked Naruto, though he was remembering more about his sensei Anko and what she told about the snake sannin. Minato sighed and took a while, before looking straight to his son. "Naruto, what I'll tell you now, it's not because I'm your father, but your hokage. Also, since you are now chunnin ninja, you deserve to know who is Orochimaru" – Began Minato before looking at his son, waiting to see if Naruto understood the seriousness of this situation. Naruto, for his turn, wondered about how his father was addressing him, since he never heard Minato so serious before, but he nodded, nevertheless.

"Orochimaru, as you knew from history books, is part of the Sannin, being named after their fierce battle against Hanzou the Salamander. Also, you know that the sannin are composed of your godfather Jiraya, Tsunade-hime, the granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage and Orochimaru, prodigious shinobi and the Sandaime's pride at the time. For a while, though, Orochimaru was rumored to make some dangerous experiments with human beings, in attempt of overcoming natural boundaries that the human body has. The problem is, Naruto, that Orochimaru is a lunatic and wouldn't stop at nothing to see his objectives go through; however Sarutobi didn't want to believe others opinions against the snake, until one day when he discovered the snake's experiments. The problem, though, was that Sandaime let him escape for whatever reason he refuses to tell. Now, it seems that he's on the loose again and he's dangerous. I know that Anko told you something about him, but I'll tell you again, he's dangerous and has the skills to top your godfather in battle and even me without the hiraishin" – Explained Minato.

Naruto didn't want to face the bastard at all, though he still wanted to know why no one dealt with the snake-face yet. Upon voicing it to his father, Minato smiled for two reasons. First, because at least a chunnin wasn't anywhere near the level of a sannin and second because just like Minato, Naruto questioned the right thing. Why didn't Konoha send someone to hunt Orochimaru after he escaped? The answer to that question was the Sandaime Hokage. Sarutobi always had a soft spot for Orochimaru, simply because of the fact that the man was an orphan, as well as genius in terms of shinobi skills. "Son, I know that you're worried about the village's welfare and pretty soon we'll deal with Orochimaru. Promise me, though, that you won't worry about him and should you encounter him, do not attempt to confront him at all" – Asked Minato to which Naruto smiled and nodded to his father.

It wasn't that Minato found his son to be weak, it was just that Orochimaru was on a whole other level, both in terms of skills and experience and Naruto was just recently promoted to chunnin. "Well, Naruto, I'll go to the office, I believe that Kakashi already talked to the Sandaime, so he will be expecting me soon" – Said Minato before turning and walking inside, before he remembered something. "Oh Naruto, I heard from the Anbu HQ that Yuugao will be sent to a mission and won't come back for a while, take care" – Finished Minato as he turned to got inside, without even seeing Naruto's dejected face over hearing this upsetting news. He leaves for two whole months and when he finally gets to see her, she is the one who is sent for a long-term mission, thus not giving them enough time for their own.

Having nothing to do for the duration of his week off, Naruto remembered about giving a try in suiton manipulation, so he went to the place where he could find plenty of material regarding the subject. The Konoha Library was famous within the village and housed more than three thousand books and scrolls for both civilians and shinobis to study, Of course, the shinobi section was both restricted against civilians and well divided into sections pertaining the different ranks and the study material allowed. Passing straight from the genin section, Naruto entered in the chunnin one and began to look for suiton ninjutsu and try to get a feeling of said manipulation and see if he manages to add a third element to his abilities.

* * *

**==The Hokage's office===**

After arriving at his office, Minato saw that the Sandaime was already there waiting while having a cup of tea. "Ah Minato-kun, so nice of you to drop by, what is the reason of this meeting you wish to have with me" – Asked Sarutobi to which Minato picked up a scroll and sit on the Hokage's chair, before addressing the Sandaime. "Kakashi told me about your suspicion over Orochimaru's actions, I was just thinking of keeping him on close watch. I saw how easily he dissuaded the Rice Field Country Daimyou into his cause and he could, certainly, use his manipulation skills for some tougher opponents and allure them to attack us for him" – Stated Minato, before hearing a acknowledging sound coming from Hizuren's mouth.

"It's true that my old student manipulated the Daimyou into joining his cause and now a new hidden village is formed. Although I know, for sure, the base serves for his experiments. I also understand your fear of him using others to harm Konoha as you're in the position to worry about the village's welfare. We don't know, whether or not, he stills mourns not being picked for the Hokage's position and it pains me to believe that should he attacks Konoha, the reason would be clear as crystal" – Manifested Hiruzen, earning a nod from Minato who got up from his chair and turned to look at the village from the window. "So we agree that we need to keep tab with him. Jiraya isn't the right guy, since Orochimaru knows him; we must place someone else to follow the guy around and I have the perfect candidate for the mission" – Said Minato, earning a look in question from Sarutobi who in turn, questioned the blonde about it.

"Yamato, please come forward" – Shouted Minato, before an Anbu wearing a lion mask appeared inside the office, startling the Sandaime, since he didn't know what his successor had in mind for him. "With his knowledge on mokuton ninjutsu, Yamato can hide better than anyone on our squad and can report the information back to us at least once a week" – Explained Minato, earning a nod from Sarutobi, who in turn forgot about the man's mokuton abilities. Sarutobi concurred with the blond in terms of assigning Yamato to this mission as he nodded in acceptance, before Minato smiled and turned to Yamato to report his mission.

"Yamato, I'm assigning you to a long-term espionage mission towards Rice Field Country. Our target is Orochimaru and both I and the Sandaime are suspicious of his movements. You are to follow him around and report his movements to us every week. As it stands, I'll be setting a time limit of six months, seeing that the man is slippery, you are to initiate tomorrow morning, so pack your things and good luck. In case of trouble, you communicate us immediately, understood" – Ordered Minato, before Yamato saluting his commander and then vanishing within a shunshin.

**

* * *

**

**===With Naruto===**

Three hours later and Naruto was trying to reduce his headache by massaging his temples a bit. The amount of information about the subject was enough to master the element…at least for someone with the respective affinity. Naruto guessed that should Yuugao-chan read everything, she would be as good as the Nidaime Hokage's level of control. Naruto learned of the man's famous water manipulation control and that he could use the water molecules out of thin air and use it for his techniques. As he focused, once again, on his headache, Naruto wondered how he would even be able to manipulate water type ninjutsu. Aside from fuuton and raiton, the theory behind suiton manipulation is hard enough and Naruto didn't want to think about how hard it would be to practice.

Suiton manipulation was picked because of his advantage towards Katon ninjutsu, so Doton was out of question. Naruto didn't know if earth manipulation was perhaps easier to learn, but after his fight against the Mist missing-nins and the jutsus he saw, well, needless to say, he liked them and wanted to use it. As he walked around the village, he was thinking about what to do with his time. Yuugao was sent on a mission and wouldn't return any time soon. He could visit Neji, but he was afraid he would end up sparring with him and that was something he wasn't particularly fond of doing right now. Suddenly, though, a warming thought appeared inside his head and he headed inside a flower shop nearby. Once he got the flowers, Naruto rushed towards the hospital in order to visit his mother. On the way, though, he was wondering why his mother needed to be at the hospital full time, but shrugged it off as concluding it to be top medic knowledge and not something he would understand any time soon.

As he entered inside the hospital, he went straight for his mother's room, since he already knew where it was. Upon opening the door, he was surprised to see that Kushina was asleep. He smiled and wondered about his little sister a bit. Naruto, sometimes, joked that since he looked just like his father so Misao would be the exact picture of his mother. Walking quietly, as in not wanting to awake her, he reached the table next to her bed and placed the flower inside a vase that was there. He, also, left a note attached to the bouquet, explaining that he was here to visit, but he didn't want to awake her, before he close the door and left the premises.

Just after he left the hospital, he heard his stomach growling, so it was ramen time.

A few minutes later, Naruto was massaging his stomach a little, while remembering the wonderful taste of the noodles. No matter how many times he ate it, he just couldn't get enough of the food. He was heading towards his house for a little nap, seeing that he needed to rest as much as he could. After all, a week passes in a flash and he wouldn't be surprised if his father sent him on another mission just after his vacation week. As he walked, though, he was having an unnerving feeling of being observed by someone, but couldn't for the likes of him, figure out who the person was or where he was hiding.

Hiding behind the trees, a weasel masked Anbu smirked upon seeing Naruto aware of his surroundings. After the Uchiha Incident, Itachi was recovered from his shock at being the one who killed his father. However, as the time passed, he was feeling better and got reinstated to active duty. The thing, though, was that Itachi didn't let go of wanting to fight Naruto in the future and kept falling him whenever he was inside the village. Being an Anbu, Itachi had access to mission reports and he got to see the thick report of Naruto's set of missions around the elemental nations. Suffice to say, Itachi was impressed and his will to fight Naruto increased even more. Itachi managed to see with his sharingan, the subject of Naruto's studies and applauded the blond for him wanting to improve, even though he did already have what it takes to become at least a jounin with his skills.

Itachi was impressed with the blond's growing rate and while it wasn't as good as his and Hatake Kakashi was, Naruto was definitely different than the other shinobis of Konoha. Itachi came to know about Sasuke's pathetic attempt of challenging Naruto and how it ended with Naruto outsmarting his pathetic little brother by vanishing before he had a chance to use the sharingan to copy the blond's techniques. _Soon, Naruto, soon you'll be a worthy opponent for me to test my skills against_. – Said Itachi, before he vanished.

Back to Naruto, he didn't feel the presence any longer and wondered what that was all about. Naruto feared that perhaps iwa ninja have infiltrated the village and were now following him in attempt to subdue him once again, because of whose son he is. Well, no matter who came, Naruto would be prepared to fight to the death and with the aid of his summons, Naruto would have an advantage against who ever tried coming against him.

After a while, Naruto reached his house in order to get some sleep. It wouldn't do him good to keep worrying about iwa ninjas invading the village to capture him. Just after he was promoted to chunnin, Minato came to him and explained that should Iwa attempt to kidnap him, it would constitute serious act of treason against the stationary pact between the hidden villages, which would constitute an act of war between the villages, so Naruto was assured that if Iwa valued their shinobi forces, they wouldn't attempt something stupid as kidnapping not only a chunnin of Konoha, but also the Hokage's son. Closing his eyes, Naruto was asleep; however he didn't notice that his wolf tattoo was glowing.

Inside his head, Naruto woke up on a mountainous region and the stars were glowing in the sky. Upon looking forward, he saw the moon glowing with intensity, until he heard a voice next to him. **Beautiful, isn't it? – **Whispered Fenrir while in his white wolf form. Naruto was surprised at first upon seeing the wolf inside his dreamscape. He dismissed the issue and turned to face the full moon once again. "Beautiful doesn't begin to describe it. I didn't know you are able to enter inside my head so easily, Fenrir-sama" – Said Naruto, earning a slight snicker from the white wolf.

"**The seal marked on your arm allow me to communicate with you inside your mind, thus allowing me to project my presence inside your head. Don't worry, though, I'm not planning on doing this too often. Now, what I want to talk about is about your status as wolf clan shinobi. As you know, we wolves tend to appreciate the moon, so it's only fair to believe that we strike at night, when the enemy is most vulnerable. Are you with me so far?"** – Asked Fenrir, giving a little time for Naruto to get acquaintance to what the wolf intended to say, before he continued. **"The shadow is our ally, so we wolves, have techniques that far exceed your human techniques when it comes to stealth and I plan to teach one of our techniques to you"** – Said Fenrir, before seeing Naruto turning his head to look at the wolf who instead kept looking at the full moon.

"**The technique is called Ookami Hijutsu Kage Suterusu **(Wolf Secret Jutsu: Shadow Stealth) **and it focus purely on the user's shadow. The technique involves focusing chakra directly through your shadow, thus making it envelop your body, thus making you as black as the shadow itself. Of course, it's not as difficult as it sounds, for this technique requires a sacrifice just like the Kuchiyose. By passing your blood through the mark, you will be able to use wolf clan techniques"** – Explained Fenrir, but Naruto was skeptical to such a thing being possible. Naruto remembered his sensei Anko explaining about the concept of stealth, but she also explained that attaining the true meaning of the concept is practically impossible as the body mass can't be invisible to the naked eye. However, this technique manages to hide the ninja's entire body inside a black color mantle, therefore appearing like a big shadow to the opponents. Fenrir could plainly see Naruto's doubt to this technique and smiled, knowing that the concept of hiding inside one's shadow seemed ludicrous to humans. He explained to the blond that within Konoha there is one clan who is famous for shadow manipulation and while they aren't as advanced as the wolf clan, it's fair to say that they will grow in no time.

"I will use tomorrow for training and at night, I'll attempt this technique you taught me Fenrir-sama. If this works, though, I'll have to show my father and he will send me to missions that require such expertise" – Said Naruto to which Fenrir asked him about what would be the problem of fulfilling more missions and also explained that should either Iwa or Kumo attempt to kidnap him, Naruto could use this technique and just disappear from view, before reinforcements arrive. Needless to say, the blond enjoyed the idea a lot. "I appreciate what you did for me, Fenrir-sama, and as a wolf clan shinobi, I will not disappoint you" – Stated Naruto, earning a nod from the wolf who in turn addressed the blond. "**I'm sure you won't, you're a fine ninja and will represent us with pride, until the next time we speak Naruto" – **Said Fenrir, before his presence began to fade away.

* * *

**===Next day===**

Waking up, Naruto went through all the usual routine, before going downstairs for some breakfast. Upon reaching the table, he found a note from his father saying that he needed to leave early to visit his mother and then would go straight to the office. After reading the note, Naruto shrugged his shoulders and went to the fridge in order to fix himself some sandwich and a glass of milk. As he fixed his breakfast, Naruto was thinking of several ideas for jutsus he could try apart from the one he learned from Fenrir. The techniques he learned was more offensive related and while he used evasion skills to dodge, it would be good to create some defensive ninjutsu. He remembered the technique he used with fuuton chakra and the Hyuuga's Kaiten technique and considered using his kage bunshins to increase the defense and even use it to turn the tables around.

Also, Naruto was considering his second element, raiton. The book his father gave him had one good defensive technique that was easy to make. The technique was called **Raiton Seiteki no Tate **(Lightning Release: Static Shield Jutsu) and It simply involved the same theory behind his lightning manipulation exercises. By expelling lightning chakra and make it travel throughout your body, the energy can transform into a static shield, thus defending him from all sort of techniques except for wind based ones. Finishing up his sandwich and the milk, Naruto was hard pressed not to just leave the house and find the nearest training ground in order to train his three new techniques. However, just as he opened the door to leave, he saw his sensei and Kurenai at the door almost knocking the door.

"Naruto, I was just about to knock…Where are you headed?" – Asked Anko, earning a look in surprise from her student who in turn was really taken aback by the two's sudden appearance and feared for the worst. He knew that Anko didn't visit him much, well rephrasing it, she never visited him at home and Kurenai was the same. Seeing the two, made Naruto wonder whether or not his father send them to pick him up for a mission or something. "Sensei, Kurenai; don't tell me you came here for a mission, right?" – Asked Naruto, though the look he received from the girls did satisfied his morbid curiosity and sent a wave of relief to his heart. Anko and Kurenai looked at one another and was surprised at the blond's question, before Anko showed her devious smirk and turned to Naruto.

"Why Naruto? I was thinking you'd be happy to see your sensei, but then I guess you only want to see me while we're doing missions, aren't you" – Said Anko, earning, once again, a look in wonder from the blond who knew his sensei enough to interpret her failed attempts of pranking the son of the prank master. "Anko-sensei, considering that my mother is the queen of pranks, you'd think she would pass on her skills to me, now as to your question, I was just surprised to see you two visiting me that's all" – Stated Naruto, before seeing Anko rolling her eyes away just like a child behaved at being cut off by an adult. Kurenai, of course, laughed at the two's antics and the teacher/student bond between them. She remembered about her team of genin and wondered if maybe, she and Hinata could be as Naruto and Anko.

"Now, seriously, Naruto where are you headed? I wanted to see how my students were doing on our vacation, but I can't find both Neji and Tenten, so I came here to see how you're doing" – Said Anko to which Naruto nodded and explained that he was going to the nearest training ground and get some ninjutsu training done. He explained about the lightning technique he would be attempting and the new fuuton defensive technique he was devising. Of course, Kurenai rolled her eyes upon seeing the blond once again talking about ninjutsu this and ninjutsu that, earning a sigh from the blond and a questioning look from Anko who figured that this was news to her. Naruto explained to her that Kurenai objected to him learning a third element as well as the fact that he could be learning some genjutsu to use. Needless to say, Anko laughed at Kurenai's failed attempt of changing the boy's fighting style. "Kurenai-chan, Naruto is a close to mid-ranged fighter; his focus is on kenjutsu and ninjutsu. You're a long-range one, thus genjutsu is your area of expertise" – Explained Anko, before Kurenai told her that she did know that, but she explained that the reason for her behaving like this was because genjutsu isn't as popular as it once was and that her students didn't show any interest for the subject.

Naruto couldn't help but overhear and asked about Neji's cousin Hinata and her ability to see through genjutsu with the byakugan to which Kurenai nodded, before explaining that all three of her students have abilities against illusion techniques, since they come from very powerful clans. "My team is a tracking and information gathering team, with an Inuzuka, a Hyuuga and an Aburame. They have their clan techniques to focus on and I can only teach them how to dispel the technique rather than using it effectively in battle" – Said Kurenai, though she changed the subject as Naruto invited them to go training with him to which the two accepted and walked along to the training ground.

Once at the training ground, Naruto decided to attempt the easiest one first and just use the rest of the day for his fuuton attack. Immediately focusing on raiton chakra, Naruto remembered what the book contained and made the necessary hand seal combination. Of course, since this was the first time doing it, Naruto felt better to just do the seals needed before actually molding the necessary chakra. Nevertheless, the sequence, although a bit large, wasn't much of a challenge for the ninjutsu specialist and Naruto memorized it after completing it five times. While he was training, though, Anko and Kurenai were watching the whole thing and were impressed with the blond's ability at the subject. Anko, though already seen him because of her position, couldn't help but marvel at the boy's capacity for learning jutsus and vowed to help him learn suiton in the future…well if Yuugao doesn't already help him with that. Kurenai had to admit, as well, that the blond was skilled. She saw him performing the hand seal sequence for the technique and it was really fast for the untrained eye to follow.

"Anko, you sure did a number on him right there. He is really skilled in ninjutsu as I'm sure that in physical areas, he is as proficient" – Stated Kurenai, earning a nod from Anko who in turn, explained that Naruto received advanced lessons with Asuma in regards to the twin knife style, thus being unpredictable to his enemies. She also mentioned about Naruto's attempt at suiton element and wondered if the blond would be able to, then, cover all weaknesses. Suddenly, though, they sensed chakra manifesting and turned to look at Naruto who in turn was in the middle of the hand seals sequence, before whispering **Raiton Seiteki no Tate **(Lightning Release: Static Shield Jutsu). Immediately, both girls managed to see a field of static energy circle around Naruto and wondered if the technique was already completed. They saw him turning to them, still with the technique up, before he asked if one of them would be willing to help him test it by throwing a shuriken at him with full force.

Initially, both of them weren't so anxious to do this, not because of lack of faith at the blond's technique, but rather their inexperience regarding any knowledge of the jutsu and what would happen if the shuriken passed the shield and hurt Naruto. Anko, though, stepped in for her student and grabbed one of her shurikens, before throwing straight at Naruto. As the projectile approached, all three became expectant at whether or not the technique would work. When the shuriken reached her target, the static energy nearly fried the projectile, thus protecting Naruto at least against projectiles. "Anko-sensei, could you test it against a doton technique, I really want to test this defense out" – Asked Naruto, earning a nod from Anko who thought about a technique to use, before begin the hand seal sequence. **"Doton Doryuudan no Jutsu **(Earth Release: Mud Dragon Projectile Jutsu)" **- **Said Anko before a mud dragon head appeared and shot mud projectiles at Naruto. And just like the shuriken, the shield protected Naruto from the mud projectiles.

Naruto smiled from ear to ear and now was only one test short of completing it. "Anko-sensei, a katon attack if you may, I want to test this technique further" – Asked Naruto to which Anko nodded and made the hand seals for **Katon Housenka no Jutsu **(Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu), before she sent fire fireballs at Naruto. Upon reaching the barrier, Naruto felt the shock and just knew he had to push more chakra to sustain the barrier to which he did, thus blocking the last incoming fireballs. "Huh, it looks like Katon attacks require more chakra to sustain the shield, thus not being advisable to use it, then. I guess that's enough for this technique, thanks Anko-sensei" – Appreciated Naruto, earning a nod from his sensei who in turn, asked him about his fuuton technique and what it entailed.

Naruto explained about how he learned Neji's Kaiten and mixed with fuuton chakra, so he was thinking in terms of using four kage bunshins and create five hurricanes, before manipulating each one of them in a sort of hurricane dance. Giving the creator some space, Anko silently clapped the ingenious idea, but wondered about the chakra needed to sustain such technique. Suddenly, Naruto summoned four kage bunshins and positioned them in a square with him inside, before all of them began to spin as well as adding fuuton chakra to the spin. It wasn't long until five ten-foot hurricanes were created and they were all going on random positions around each other, as in each hurricane was dancing around the other. After a couple of minutes, the clones stopped spinning and then were dispelled, leaving only a little woozy Naruto holding his hand, while looking at the women in front of him, giving him all mad looks at him and their hair were all messed up, presumably because of the wind force generated from five consecutive hurricanes. Needless to say, Naruto wouldn't want to stay still and face the women's fury, so he use whatever chakra he had left and vanished via fuuton shunshin, leaving the women looking around to see where the damn blond was hiding.

Appearing inside his room, Naruto smiled upon remembering their angry faces, but one thing was sure. He now knew two new defensive jutsus, one lighting one and his new fuuton technique which he decided to name **Fuuton Arashi no Mai **(Wind Release: Tempest Dance Jutsu). Nevertheless, the chakra consumption was huge and Naruto couldn't see clearly. He did manage to reach his bed and slept for several hours.

* * *

**===Birth Date===**

One week passed since Naruto got to train his defensive techniques and the one Fenrir taught him. At the time, Naruto thought he would never get to do the technique, but the secret to it all was the needed sacrifice for the technique and he was able to focus chakra to his shadow rather easily. After that, he kind of slept to late afternoons and went to the library in order to study more about suiton ninjutsu, being that the most daring subject he ever faced so far, except for this ultimate lightning jutsu.

Right now, though, all thoughts regarding techniques were set aside since the only thing Naruto could think of at the moment, was his soon to be born sister Misao. Currently, he was seating at the waiting room at the hospital next to his girlfriend Yuugao who was holding his hand while he saw his father walking from side to side, presumably wondering if both his mother and Misao would be okay. Suddenly, the light indicating the operation was still in effect subsided and both Minato and Naruto got up only waiting for the doctor responsible for delivering the baby, left the room with a smile on his face. After all, he was also responsible for delivering Naruto a long time ago and now he was given the honor of delivering now the Hokage's daughter. Minato couldn't help his anxiety any further and asked the doctor how it was.

The man smiled at seeing the same scene that happened with Naruto and told father and son that Kushina was doing okay and the baby was a beautiful girl. It didn't take long for the Namikaze Family to get reunited once again inside the operation room and they saw Kushina there holding her daughter while smiling deeply at her. When she looked up, she saw both Minato and Naruto looking at her with big smiles on their faces which made her smile which was followed by tears of happiness. Their family just gained a new member and everyone thought the same thing as they looked at the baby…_Welcome to the family Namikaze Misao_.

* * *

AN: Next update will be a two year time skip, so see you all in a couple of weeks.


	17. Yondaime Hokage

**Chapter 17 – Yondaime Hokage**

"Naruto, can you prepare Misao's milk for me?" – Screamed Kushina before hearing a strong voice acknowledging said request. Kushina, then, looked at her little daughter while changing her clothes as well as tickling her stomach a little bit. No matter what happened to her, once she heard her daughter laughing, all trouble thought seemed to just vanish like they never existed. Two years passed since Misao's birth and the little girl was the exact copy of Kushina. Her red hair had already reached her tiny shoulders. As Kushina changed the little girl's wardrobe, she couldn't help but smile upon seeing the sparkling stone earrings on Misao's ears, which was a wonderful present given by Naruto's girlfriend Yuugao, just after a mission towards Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall Village). For a while, after placing Misao on her crib once again, she looked at her daughter, while thanking the gods that Iwa didn't attempt to kidnap her as well as they tried to do with Naruto.

However, Kushina realized that Iwa wouldn't attempt to invade the Namikaze compound from fear of having to face either the Yellow Flash or the Kazeryuu. Kushina remembered when she heard Minato saying that Naruto was now listed as a B ranked ninja on Iwa's bingo book by the name of Kazeryuu. She also remembered Naruto explaining to her the mission that earned the name.

**Flashback on**

Naruto was sent on a mission towards Earth Country along with two chunnins called Izumo and Kotetsu. Normally, his team would be sent with him, but since Neji was sent towards Takigakure as a diplomat from the Hyuuga clan, the Hokage issued both Anko and Tenten to accompany him, thus setting Naruto with two other chunnins. The mission was rather simple. It consisted of one document retrieval from a merchant's house that in turn, acquired the stolen document through the black market.

Entering and leaving unnoticed was easy enough because of his wolf clan shadow jutsu, however Naruto's team didn't believe the man would hire Iwa ninja for his protection, thus having to engage them in combat. Izumo and Kotetsu dealt with half of the enemies with their flawless teamwork from their genin years which consisted of a suiton attack and the use of weapons. Naruto was left with two chunnins and a jounin, before he began a series of hand seals for his new technique called **Fuuton Kazeryuu** (Wind Release: Wind Dragon Jutsu).

Instantly, Naruto began molding chakra from thin air, therefore creating a full-fledged dragon before sending it straight towards the enemy. The chunnins were flying the minute the dragon hit them, however the jounin did manage to hold his ground against the technique, although barely. Naruto, then, shifted a different hand seal and focused more chakra, thus increasing the power of the wind. After reporting the success of the mission, two days later, Minato smiled and handed his son a copy of Naruto's page at Iwa's bingo book, with the name Kazeryuu (wind dragon).

**Flashback off**

Out of the blue, a blond man walked inside the room and extended the bottle of milk for his mother, before seeing Kushina talk it and appreciate to him. In two years, Naruto grew up to be an even more similar figure of his father the Yondaime Hokage. He let the hair grew up a bit to the part that his forehead protector couldn't hold them from falling on his forehead. His clothes remained the same as before, with the only difference was that now near the heart area, Naruto's vest was engraved with a white dragon.

"Mother, do you need anything else?" – Asked Naruto, earning a nod in negative from Kushina who in turn appreciated her son's help. "No thanks, Naruto-kun. Your father awaits you at his office; it wouldn't be nice to show up late to your appointments." – Said Kushina, earning a nod from Naruto, while saying goodbye to his mother. After a while, Naruto was already out of his house and walking casually towards the Hokage's office. On the way, he was receiving a lot of looks from the village's population. He knew them all as they were many. The shinobi part looked at him with admiration and respect, but there were few that looked at him as in seeing a little Yondaime. The civilian male population, being as ignorant as they are, only viewed him as the Yondaime's son. The woman part, though, was really something else entirely. Because of his looks, both kunoichi and civilians looked at him with clear second intentions.

However, Naruto knew no woman would try to come ask him out from fear of seeing Yuugao's wrath once again. Smiling, Naruto remembered one time when a girl from his class tried her luck with him. She did came at him asking him out on a date but Naruto explained that he was already dating someone, hence why he wouldn't go. No matter how nice Naruto was to the girl, she tried one more time, only this time she tried dissuading the blond from dating older woman and going out with her instead.

Naruto could still remember the face of pure fear once Yuugao landed in front of her with her Anbu uniform and asked what she was trying to do with her boyfriend, even after Naruto explained that he already has a girlfriend. The young Namikaze was very surprised, at the time, from hearing Yuugao calling the girl hussy and focusing a little bit of killing intent at her with the sole purpose of scaring her. Naruto knew that scaring other woman was Yuugao's favorite hobby so he let his girlfriend have her fun. After the girl pretty much vanished from sight, Yuugao turned to him and smiled, thus showing Naruto that she enjoyed herself.

Naruto and Yuugao's relationship evolved considerably over the last two years. Apart from their respective responsibilities and missions, they managed to find time to be with one another, varying from double dates with Kurenai/Asuma and Anko/Iruka, as well as some alone time for them. A drop of blood came out of Naruto's nose, once he remembered their first time really together. Clearly, both Yuugao and Naruto were dead nervous about the whole thing. They never dared to make a bigger step than they were ready for and safe to say, both of them were having doubts about the next ordeal. Also, the fact that none of the two knew what to do, so each one of them asked to someone about what they were supposed to do. Naruto asked to Jiraya and Yuugao asked Anko. Needless to say, the vision of sex was quite distorted, at first.

In the end, the act was sensational and both vowed to put up a notch on the relationship. The act happened close to two weeks ago and they would've done other times, except for the fact that Yuugao was enrolled as a teacher at the Anbu HQ to train Anbu rookies while Naruto was sent on missions almost twice a week. His wolf clan abilities gave him an expertise in infiltration that few shinobis had, so the hokage sent him on a lot to missions. As he walked towards the Hokage's office, the blond wondered if his father would send him on another mission. _Oh well, I guess I can't complain to the man, he's not only the hokage, but also my father. _

* * *

**===At Minato's office===**

The Yondaime Hokage was, inside his office, reading what seemed to be one of Yamato's reports about Orochimaru's whereabouts. The blond hokage felt sorry for the Anbu in front of him, since he knew of how stressing a long-term mission could be. You're out there alone and you can only depend on yourself for pretty much anything. The man for his part appreciated the mask usage, because his face was deplorable right now. There were times when he didn't have time to sleep, because the damn snake would be on constant move. "You're dismissed Yamato. I'm sorry about this burden I placed on you, so is only fair that I grant a two week vacation. Report here aftwerwards" – Said Minato, earning a nod from Yamato, before vanishing.

After that, Minato returned to reading the report about Orochimaru. Along the time Yamato left for the mission, weekly reports were being delivered to the Hokage about the snake. In two years, the snake pretty much travelled through all the elemental nations in hopes of improving the only seal Minato disapproved of. The cursed seal, while granting the used a lot of power and speed, it corrupted the user's mind, thus changing his sanity. Mitarashi Anko was, until now, the only one Orochimaru ever tested it on, but the woman's will was strong enough to not rely on the seal at all, however that didn't mean she was completely free from the snake's grasp. According to Yamato's reports, though, the snake managed to improve the seal after sacrificing many humans just for it. According to the report, Yamato saw five teenagers that had the seal and one of them happened to be the last remnant of the Kaguya clan. Upon the seal's activation, the body receives a burst of chakra and power, capable on going toe to toe with a mid-level jounin at level two.

Minato knew also of the levels of the cursed seal, with the first consisting of the seal spreading its image throughout the body and granting the user an additional burst of chakra. The second one, though, was clearly more devastating both on the user and his enemies. The seal would transform the user's body and give him a monster type appearance, not only granting chakra, but also superior strength and power.

After a while, Minato sent the last file for his secretary in order to be sent to the archives and turned to look at the village behind him for a while. When the Sandaime Hokage was in charge, he used to do this often a lot and Minato, himself, often questioned the reason behind this. At the time, the old Hokage only said that he couldn't explain and that if Minato wanted to know, he would have to take the old man's position. Now, he was the one doing it and if someone asked him why, he knew the answer now. The hokage position meant protecting the village's wellbeing and by looking at those he protects, roaming free without a care in the world it sent a wave of tranquility to the hokage and allows him to think more clearly and even solve hard-pressed doubts.

The next business of Minato's agenda was issuing a new espionage mission towards one of Orochimaru's contacts inside Fire Country. The hokage found in one of the reports that Orochimaru had someone inside the Fire Daimyou's castle that has been sending him information about the country's economic aspects as well as some knowledge of Konoha that only the Daimyou would have access to. This caused Minato to shiver in fear at what the snake could possibly want with Konoha. Contacts made with the kages of all the hidden villages were also a major concern to the blond hokage. Suna was allies with Konoha and Kiri is neutral. Kumo also closed a pact of neutrality when the Raikage came to see the chunnin exams. Iwa, though, remained bitter after the Third Shinobi Wars and could think of trying something against Konoha.

Minato remembered their first attempt on his son's life close to ten years ago and how much times Naruto had to face iwa nins. The Yondaime, though, felt immense pride upon seeing Naruto's picture in Iwa's bingo book. As a father, he couldn't hope not to, after all, what father he would be if he didn't get to gloat to others about being the father of the famous Kazeryuu. Iwa wouldn't think of attacking Konoha if both he and his son were inside Konoha, unless they would send their entire ninja regimen. _I'll have to send someone to Iwa to investigate things, soon. We can't be caught in surprise in case of an invasion_.

A knock on the door awoke him from his slumber and entered Kurenai's team of genins. Minato also was proud of team 8 for excelling in information gathering missions and he had the perfect assignment for them. "Ah Kurenai, glad to see your team is on time. I have a B-ranked espionage mission and it's in the capital of Fire Country. I'll give the details once your fifth member arrives" – Said Minato, before seeing Kurenai wanting to ask a question. "Excuse me Hokage-sama, but why are we in need of a fifth member for an espionage mission?" – Asked Kurenai.

"Even though this is an espionage mission, chances of this mission backfiring are too much of a risk for me to send your team alone. My policy happens to be the priority of our shinobi and I don't intend to send someone on a mission without at least being more prepared to handle things. Don't worry, though, Kurenai-san, this little insurance of mine has nothing to do with your team's ability to handle these types of missions. Team 8 has excelled in information gathering missions and as your hokage, I'm proud of your team's achievements" – Stated Minato, earning a smile and a nod from Kurenai, followed by small faints of blushing in appraisal from Hyuuga Hinata and a boost in pride from Inuzuka Kiba. Shino, though, being an Aburame, wasn't so easy to show emotions, but Minato knew about their subtle body movements and Shino made a subtle nod in appraisal.

Another knock soon followed and Minato allowed entry. "Excuse me Hokage-sama; did you call in for me?" – Asked Naruto as soon as he entered, before spotting Kurenai and her team of genins. "Hello there Kurenai, how are you doing?" – Asked Naruto to which Kurenai nodded before responding. "Very good, Naruto; Asuma was searching for you for something, but I kind of forgot what it was. How is Yuugao-chan? Is been a while since I last saw her?" – Asked Kurenai.

"She got stuck inside Anbu HQ for a while. Apparently, a new Anbu group arrived and she will be assigned for some heavy teaching. I hope, though, that she has a day-off or else I fear for both her and my sanity from not seeing her" – Said Naruto, but was interrupted by a throat-clearance from the Hokage, before both apologized and turned to the report. "Naruto, you'll be sent along with Kurenai's team towards the Fire Country's capital city. Our target is a man called Takagashi Hito and he's rumored to be a direct supplier of sensitive information to Orochimaru" – Said Minato, earning gasps from the team and two serious looks from Naruto and Kurenai.

"Inside this file, you'll see a photo of said man and the location of his residence and office. Your mission is to spy on him for the duration of two weeks. Your target is to see which information is this man privy of and which information is being reported to Orochimaru. The next part of the mission will be chosen depending on the situation in hand. This man is to be neutralized after the completion of the first assignment, however you Naruto and Kurenai can decide if he is to be either killed or arrested for conspiracy against the Daimyou. Both choices have the same result, which is cease of information to be sent to Orochimaru" – Explained Minato, before Naruto asked. "Hokage-sama, any security assets the man has so that we can be better prepared?" – Asked Naruto, to which Minato nodded, before giving him a photo.

"The man isn't stupid Naruto. He knows of the danger behind his actions and he knows someone would attempt an attack against him. He hired a Kumo missing-nin however we do not know much about him. The only thing we have is a picture. Your job on this mission will be providing security to Team 8 while they do their job" – Explained Minato to which Naruto nodded and then the group scheduled to meet each other at the gates in half an hour with the necessary supplies for two weeks**.**

* * *

**===Outside the office===**

After leaving the office, Naruto went to the Anbu HQ in hopes of getting Yuugao for a quick lunch before he was scheduled to leave on his mission. He also wondered what Asuma-sensei wanted with him, but that would have to wait since he didn't have much time to meet both him and Yuugao. However, just when he was about to jump one last rooftop near the Anbu HQ, Asuma landed in front of him, greeting the blond. "Hey Asuma-sensei, Kurenai said you wanted to talk to me?" – Asked Naruto, earning a nod from the bearded shinobi. "Naruto, I was meaning to find you, so that I could give you our new weapons, here take your set" – Said Asuma, before giving Naruto what seemed to be similar to the trench knifes, but now bigger than before. "You surely noticed the elongated steel which will help us against kenjutsu attacks, since it will protect a wider area. Also, this new type of metal allows our fuuton chakra to travel throughout the steel much easier and can store some of the energy without the need of constant channeling. The only set back is the weight, but I don't think that will be an issue to the Kazeryuu" – Said Asuma, before laughing at Naruto's slight blush in praise.

"I'm really proud of you Naruto. Even though I've been your sensei for only a month for your chunnin exams, I feel like we have a strong bond between us, after all we represent the minority of Konoha that happens to possess a wind affinity; plus the fact that you co-authored my style. Use the new trench knifes and tell me how it feels" – Said Asuma to which Naruto nodded, before asking if the bearded man already tested it before.

"I did use it, but it was against a C ranked missing-nin. So far, I didn't test it against a worthy opponent. However, you could do that in your new assignment" – Said Asuma before seeing Naruto nod and appreciate the new weapon. A while later; sensei and student went different ways and Naruto was in front of the Anbu HQ, asking around for Anbu member Cat. The receptionist nodded at the request and called inside for Yuugao to show up. Naruto hoped that his girlfriend wasn't too busy to see him, however when he saw her walking casually towards the reception, he smiled.

"Anbu-san, there is a couple of things I wish to speak with you about, could you accompany me outside for a moment" – Asked Naruto, earning an impassive nod from the Anbu. Once inside the Anbu HQ, the woman couldn't just jump on her boyfriend and hug him after so long, nor could she greet him in ways that would demonstrate intimacy, so she just nodded and followed Naruto, but secretly wondering about their first time and also wanting to do the act one more time.

Once outside, Naruto quickly used the wind shunshin and appeared on top of the hokage monument, before talking Yuugao's mask off. "Wow, you are more beautiful than before, Yuugao-chan, if that was even possible" – Said Naruto, before seeing the woman smile and land a passionate kiss while throwing her arms around him. "Ah Naruto-kun, is been so long, I'm sorry about not having the time to meet with you. It's just that since a while ago, a huge group of new Anbu trainees came and needed training. They placed me in charge and I don't know when this will end, I…" – Said Yuugao, but was stopped as Naruto kissed her lips gently. "Yuugao-chan, don't worry about me, it's your job, it's not like you asked to do it, right? Besides, just by seeing your face and feeling your lips, I can certainly say it was worth all the wait…"- Stated Naruto, before was tackled to the ground with Yuugao on top of him.

The woman was livid. Naruto could set her off like this with just a few words and now she wanted to give him something. "Naruto, how much time do you have until you have to meet Kurenai's team?" – Asked Yuugao, before seeing Naruto thinking for a while. "Well, is been a couple of minutes since I left the Hokage's office, so I have close to 20 minutes to meet them, why?" – Asked Naruto with innocence, before seeing Yuugao show that face. Before he knew it, her hands were already massaging his body in sexual ways, before taking his chunnin vest off. "I don't think I need to voice my intentions to you, don't I, Naru…to-kun?" – Whispered Yuugao through his ears, making him shiver with excitement. Using his hands, Naruto managed to take off the Anbu armor, before exposing Yuugao's nice body. With his hands, while Yuugao kissed him passionately on top of him, Naruto would use his hands to caress Yuugao's breasts.

"I wanted to do it again so much…you have no idea how much I carved for you to be inside me once again" – Whispered Yuugao, this time feeling the strain inside her body from the hormones influence. "Since that time, Yuugao-chan, the only think I could think of was to feel you once again…" – Said Naruto, before seeing Yuugao smile and move her hands towards Naruto's crotch, before massaging it a bit. The moan that Naruto made caused Yuugao to shiver with excitement as it was her who caused him to moan. Taking his pants off, Yuugao suddenly stroke Naruto's cock with her hands, before beginning to suck the tip. Naruto, this time, was crazy. He remembered the first time Yuugao did this to him and the reaction is pretty much the same, complete insanity.

After a while of stroking Naruto's cock, the blond positioned himself on top of her and also lowered her Anbu cargo pants, before doing the same thing to her. Yuugao could feel the blond's tongue entering her inner walls and began to moan his name, pleading him to really feel her from the inside, earning a smile from Naruto, before putting it in hard. Yuugao never wanted anything to be gentle from constant battles, even the first time, she asked Naruto to go rough on her. It hurt a lot, but one minute after, the girl was on cloud nine, wanting for Naruto to pound on her hard. "Oh yes, Naruto-kun, pound me harder" – Shouted Yuugao while Naruto obliged by increasing the pace while on top of her. Yuugao's inside was perfect, Naruto thought. Her inner walls would squeeze to give him more pleasure and he would pound into her harder.

Moving the positions, Naruto moved to be on the bottom while Yuugao would sit on his cock, before moving up and down. After each time she went further down, not only she pounded hard, but also she screamed in pleasure, making Naruto move as well, which was acknowledged by Yuugao since she screamed louder once he did. Naruto and Yuugao were on it for close to 15 minutes, before Naruto could feel Yuugao's inner walls convulse. Before long, Yuugao screamed in utter pleasure and had an orgasm right on Naruto's member. Along the way, Yuugao happened to be squeezing Naruto's cock so much, that the blond was having trouble containing himself from ejaculating right inside of her. However, instincts saved him from it and he took it off and had the orgasm. Yuugao helped him, though, by grabbing his cock and stroking it a little bit in order to extract as much semen as possible.

After, both Yuugao and Naruto lied down for a while on the grass naked while looking at the sky. "Yuugao-chan, I'll miss you greatly. My mission is to take two weeks time" – Said Naruto, before seeing a sad nod from the girl. "I know Naruto-kun, I'll miss you as well, but I also know that the Kazeryuu would be sent to more missions after the name. I know you'll return to me and when you do, I'll be waiting for you with open arms." – Stated Yuugao, before kissing Naruto one more time and then getting up to put the Anbu armor and her mask. "I have to go Naruto-kun, the next hour of training will commence in five, so I have to be there. Be careful out there, okay?" – Asked Yuugao, before seeing Naruto nod and put his clothes on. "You know I am".

* * *

**===At the gates===**

Team eight was already waiting at the gates for their fifth member to arrive. He wasn't late, but having an over-hyperactive Inuzuka on her team kind of infuriated Kurenai. She really wanted to blame on Naruto but she couldn't, since Kiba was her responsibility. Nonetheless, Kurenai couldn't help but smile upon hearing Kiba asking questions after questions about Naruto. Since his mission towards Earth Country, Naruto AKA Kazeryuu became the center of attention of younger shinobis and Kiba was no exception. Kurenai remembered when Naruto's father, the Hokage had the same fame towards the aspiring shinobi.

Suddenly, the wind increased its pace and all four of them could feel the usage of chakra. When all of them looked towards the chakra destination, a small typhoon appeared before Naruto's presence was noticed. "Sorry for the delay, Kurenai. I'm ready to go" – Said Naruto, earning a nod from Kurenai, before issuing her team to walk towards the beginning of the forest.

Thirty minutes passed and Naruto was sure to kill himself before the end of the mission. The reason being one noisy Inuzuka asking questions as well as stating things that was nearly impossible to occur; for example he heard Kiba saying that the Kazeryuu was responsible for sending close to forty enemies flying with just one jutsu. _Oh man, they are already spreading rumors about me…_ - Thought Naruto as he was walking along with Kiba while Hinata and Kurenai walked side by side close behind. Hinata already knew Naruto from being on her cousin Neji's team since their genin days, but she knew of his fame as the Kazeryuu, so she kept asking questions to Kurenai, although in a lower tone of voice. "Kurenai-sensei, how strong Is Naruto, really? Neji isn't very descriptive" – Asked Hinata to which Kurenai nodded and explained about Naruto's abilities.

"Since Naruto was four years old, he trained to be a shinobi. The academy jutsus you guys learned at 10, he already got it when he was five. He began fuuton elemental manipulation immediately afterwards and ten years later, he is known, throughout the elemental nations, as Konoha's Kazeryuu (Wind Dragon) because of a technique that was said to be impossible to be used with fuuton ninjutsu. All of the elements are malleable, as you know; fire, earth, water and lightning. Wind, however, is merely composed of air current. It's impossible to mold the air into a maleable substance. Naruto did, though, no one knows how he did it" – Explained Kurenai, earning a questioned look from Hinata, before questioning if Naruto, himself, could explain.

"Naruto is very brilliant when it comes to ninjutsu, Hinata. However, his explanation wasn't enough to satisfy anyone's curiosity. According to him, by focusing high amounts of fuuton chakra and 'picturing' the wind being molded, Naruto would be able to do the technique" – Said Kurenai and as expected, she saw Hinata's questioned look and smiled, before explaining that Hinata's looks were similar to pretty much everyone to whom Naruto tried to explain his theory.

Once the group arrived at the beginning of the forest, they jumped towards the nearest tree and began their travel towards the capital city. Just as quickly as it began, Naruto diminished his speed and gathered along Kurenai who was in the middle of the group while Kiba and Hinata were in front and Shino was last. "I do recall you saying about the Inuzuka, but I didn't know he could be so noisy" – Complained Naruto, earning a snicker from Kurenai who in turn, looked at the big grin Kiba was showing right now. "He worships you, Naruto. Ever since your fame began, Kiba wouldn't stop asking questions about you and your abilities. I'm also pretty sure he isn't the only one" – Said Kurenai, earning a nod from Naruto.

Naruto smiled, but on the inside, his mind was filled with doubt. Doubt about the reason behind being on the center of the village's praise. He worked really hard on missions and trained like crazy to be where he is right now, but no matter what, the Yellow Flash shadow still existed and it simply wouldn't go away. No matter what Naruto did and no matter how much people congratulated him for it, the blond would always wonder if they were doing this because of whose son he is. Minato, himself, became aware of that problem close to six months ago and talked to Naruto about it.

**Flashback on**

The sun was just settling down and Naruto was found training near to the Namikaze Compound. His suiton ability wasn't as good as his affinities, but the blond was proud to say he could already manipulate water to the point of being able to do a technique or two. So far, he learned one defensive technique called **Suiton Suijinheki **(Water Release: Water Barrier Jutsu) and an offensive one called **Suiton Hahonryuu **(Water Release: Destruction Torrent Jutsu). Naruto was just finishing the needed hand seals for his offensive one, before a burst of water suddenly shot from behind him towards the imaginary opponent.

After the technique, Naruto kneeled on the ground from severe exhaustion. He knew the cause as being attempting an elemental attack that wasn't the user's affinity. Nevertheless, Naruto would smile from knowing he was getting stronger. His father was observing Naruto with nothing short of pride upon seeing the blond always improving his abilities. However, something that Kushina told him about really unnerved him and he really wanted to talk to his son about it. "Hi there, Naruto; I can see you're handling suiton training quite well, despite it not being your affinity" – Said Minato, surprising Naruto who only nodded, before sitting down to recover some energy and head to his room. "Father, I didn't see you there; you left the office earlier" – Stated Naruto, earning a nod from Minato before sitting down by his son's side.

"Son, your mother told me about something concerning and I wish to talk to you about it…" – Said Minato, before seeing the once happy face being turned to a sad one. "Dad, I know what you want to talk, but I don't have any explanations as to why I feel this way, but I do. I just don't know who to divide those who worships my skills because of whose son I am and those who do otherwise, well except for my family, my girlfriend and a couple of close friends" – Stated Naruto, earning a understating nod from Minato. "I happen to remember a lot of people referring to you as being my son, instead of just Naruto. And that clearly was what triggered this feeling of yours. The truth, son, is that everyone always look up to someone and that's what motivates the young generation to grow stronger than the old one" – Said Minato, though Naruto's face was still sad.

"Yeah, leaving the shadow of the Yellow Flash is practically impossible, how can I hope to surpass you father?" – Asked Naruto, before hearing a heavy sigh from Minato. "Naruto, do not be like this. You're one of this village's strongest chunnin so far and your team was responsible for great many accomplishments together. I'll have you know, that when I had your age, I looked at the Sandaime Hokage and Jiraya-sensei pretty much the same way you look at me right now" – Said Minato, this time earning Naruto's attention, before Minato continued.

"The Sandaime Hokage was apprenticed by both the Shodaime and the Nidaime Hokage, son. The old man knows next to a thousand jutsus of all elements and has survived two of the ninja wars, how could I not look up to him and surpass him? In the end, my knowledge with fuuinjutsu allowed me to create the technique that granted Konoha victory against Iwa in the last shinobi war. Both the Hiraishin and the Rasengan enabled me to win many battles and I became the Yellow Flash of Konoha. However, I can tell you right now, with your age, I was nowhere near your level of skills, hell you already have three affinities you can use, plus you possess the wolf clan contract and their techniques. You should have more faith in yourself Naruto; cause in the end, the only target you'll have to overcome is yourself"

**Flashback off**

_That time, I was still due to become known as the Kazeryuu. But I guess my father is right; after all, I still have a lot of time to make a name for myself_. – Thought Naruto as he jumped towards the next tree.

Thirty minutes later, Kurenai issued a halt to the team and they descended in favor of preparing their camp. After all it was already getting dark and even if Kurenai's team could travel at night, it wasn't advisable. Once on the ground, Kurenai began to act as the leader of the group and gave each of them designated tasks. Kiba and Shino were to gather some food and water for them while she and Hinata would fix their camp. Naruto, for his part, was responsible for the camp's security measures.

The Hokage, at one time, taught him a bit of two about security fuuinjutsu. He used two types of seal, being the first one an alarm seal which should be positioned around a safe perimeter (the camp) and the other being a small trap seal that can keep the enemy occupied until either the group managed to escape or to get ready for battle. Also, since the alarm seal was created with Naruto's chakra, the seal will only inform the blond of a breach in security, so he was to be alert at all times. The blond didn't mind, though, as he appreciated the night as much as his summons.

Once the group was done doing their respective tasks, everyone gathered up near a small fire Shino did with a katon jutsu and the girls started to prepare fish for everyone. At one point, Shino looked at Naruto's vest symbol and was curious as to why the dragon and not a wolf, from his summon. Naruto smiled upon remembering Fenrir being rather angry with him for not engraving the wolf instead of a dragon. "The white dragon represents the technique that earned the name Kazeryuu, Shino. Hokage-sama believed that people may not know my reputation from appearance alone so the symbol would be a reminder of sorts. On a more personal note, I wouldn't say I enjoy being easily recognized simply because a ninja shouldn't be drawing attention like this" – Explained Naruto before seeing the slight nod peculiar to the Aburame clan.

After Naruto's explanation, the group ate quietly and enjoying their respective fish. Nevertheless, the team with the exception of Kurenai who already knew Naruto was looking at the blond as in trying to figure out something beneath his exterior. The group belonged to clans that could easily perceive when a man is either lying or not telling the whole truth, however none of them could see any intention of either lying or omission of information coming from Naruto. All three of them knew that Naruto was the Hokage's son and they were quite taken aback when Naruto called him Hokage-sama instead of tou-san or father.

No one decided to ask him, seeing that it would be a rather personal question, so they moved on and asked about Naruto's abilities. The blond explained about his affinities and his recent studies with suiton ninjutsu, as well as explaining about his twin knife style that Team 10's sensei Sarutobi Asuma created and taught it to him.

While the blond was explaining, Kurenai could see that the children's eyes were all focused on Naruto and she couldn't help but smile at the blond's reputation among this generation of genins. Maybe, it was the fact that Naruto was so young and yet as capable as many jounins twice his age, but the level in which he was speaking of his skills demanded respect and the confidence behind it all was equivalent to a high level ninja. The genins clearly thought of Naruto as being the perfect role model for them to grow stronger.

Another positive aspect of the blond was that he wasn't farfetched to the kunoichi's abilities, thus explaining to the group how both his teammate Tenten and his girlfriend Yuugao are the best weapons expert of Konoha. Kurenai knew a lot about Naruto's ninja team from hearing a lot of their achievements together. Often times, partnered with Hyuuga prodigy Neji, it was almost impossible to find an enemy these two couldn't beat. Plus the kunoichi Tenten was responsible for many things as well. Kurenai even remembered hearing Anko explaining that when her team is completed, there isn't much she is supposed to do other than observe the team perform the mission flawlessly.

After the conversation ended, Kurenai issued Naruto to watch the group for the night since only he could feel the enemy if they're close. Naruto didn't object and vanished within a small typhoon, thus leaving the team alone to go inside their tents. "Kurenai-sensei why only Naruto will be doing the night watch; we could switch with him" – Asked Kiba, though Kurenai just pointed to the moon. "Naruto enjoys the night. He enjoys even more when the moon is full. I don't know the details of the whole thing, but when he looks at it, something inside of him awakens and he's drowned to it. Even so, the Hokage, his father, once joked about Naruto being a werewolf in disguise. Another aspect is because the seal will only inform him about any intrusions, so he would have to be aware of his surroundings, therefore unable to sleep" – Explained Kurenai before issuing everyone a good night.

Kiba stayed for a while and looked up to see Naruto standing on top of a tree log and looking at the moon. _Wolves aren't in good terms with dogs, for reasons my mother didn't tell me, but for some reason, I don't feel like attacking Naruto. He clearly smells like one, but I can't sense any malice or negative thinking coming from him. Well, I'm eager to see the Kazeryuu handles himself in a battle. _– Thought Kiba as he turned around and went to the tent that he was sharing with Shino.

Back to Naruto, he waited for everyone to go to sleep and remained for a while looking at the full moon. A while later, he cut the tip of his toe and passed the blood on top of the wolf seal on his arms, before making hand seals for **Ookami Kuchiyose no Jutsu **(Wolf Summoning Jutsu). Right before him, a brown wolf with two tails appeared with a huge grin on his face.

"Hello there Naruto, what's the count?" – Asked the wolf to which Naruto smiled and replied. "It's three victories to you my friend and two for me, but this time we'll be even" – Said Naruto, earning a snicker from the wolf in response to the challenge.

* * *

**===At the Yondaime's office===**

Minato was found seating on his chair looking at the amount of paperwork already done and a small pile that needed to be done. He knew that by tomorrow, this pile would pretty much double and he needed to find something to aid him in clearing a Hokage's worst nightmare. He was currently drinking some tea and only counting the time to go home when he saw his office window opening. Immediately picking up a kunai, Minato waited until the figure showed himself as being his old sensei.

"Dammit Jiraya-sensei, use the door the next time" – Shouted Minato, earning a snicker in response from Jiraya. "Hello there my student; how the Namikaze family is doing these days?" – Asked Jiraya, earning a snort in annoyance from the blond. "We're doing great, thank you. It would be good, though, if you'd get to visit Naruto a little bit, you're his godfather after all" – Said Minato, earning a sigh in embarrassment from the pervert.

"Sorry about that Minato, I've been busy walking around. The snake is on the move again, I just couldn't leave him be and come here. Besides, I'm sure Naruto wouldn't mind me getting some time to visit him; I heard he's quite popular in Iwa. Like father like son." – Said Jiraya, earning a smile from Minato. "I don't know if we should be pissing the Tsushikage more than we already did, I do have another child right now and I'd die if anything happened to my little girl".

Truth be told, Minato already assured heavy security inside his house with seals both around the residence and inside Misao's room. Also, Minato placed a hiraishin seal near Misao's crib to transport him instantly to her position. "Well, I came here to tell you something intriguing and it involves Iwa. As you know from Yamato's reports, Orochimaru has been travelling everywhere and clearly he spoke with all the kages of the respective villages. Suna, Kumo and Kiri all declined even giving him the opportunity to speak, but the Tsushikage didn't share the same ideas. It was a good thing I was there at the time as I saw the snake talking to the Tsushikage. The content of the conversation, though, I wasn't able to acquire" – Explained Jiraya before seeing his student shiver instantly.

Anything involving both Orochimaru and Iwa was enough to send even the Sandaime on edge and he was well-respected for his tranquility even upon facing tough situations. "I was able to find a man inside the Daimyou's castle that was rumored to be sending information to Orochimaru about Konoha, both economic and military. I sent a team of genins with Kurenai and Naruto to find out what's being informed to the snake, before neutralizing the man by either arresting him or killing him. I've already informed the Daimyou not to get involved, because the rat would be suspicious and would abandon the whole thing" – Explained Minato, earning a nod from Jiraya in appraisal to his student's abilities.

"An outstanding shinobi you're already proved yourself to be Minato, but now you've proved to be an outstanding hokage and tactician. I'll remain on the lookout for Orochimaru in case he aspires ill towards Konoha. In any case, I fear he won't succeed since Konoha is under a competent leader. I'm sure sensei is proud of choosing you for the position" – Said Jiraya as he said goodbye to the blond before vanishing, thus leaving Minato alone to wonder about the words given by his sensei.

Often times, Minato questioned his abilities as ruler of the village and wondered if he would protect Konoha just like his predecessors. Now, with Jiraya, one of the sannin and students of the Sandaime Hokage, praising him for his efforts, Minato couldn't help but smile in how he was handling the position. With the Sandaime, as head of the council, Minato didn't need to handle with much politics, thus focusing more where a hokage should deal with, which was the village's military. Ever since Minato took up the position, the number of shinobis dying on the line of duty was severely reduced. He wasn't kin on the idea of sending the necessary amount of shinobis to a mission, thus adding one or two ninjas for better protection and higher rate of victories.

The council, at the time, questioned Minato regarding the immeasurable gap that the village's economy would suffer because of Minato's idea, but because of the higher rate of success in missions, Konoha received a higher number of mission requests, thus increasing the village's vault big time. Another nice aspect of Minato's era as hokage was the new academy schedule he created along with the Sandaime and how better prepared the new genins became because of it. At the beginning, some of the bigger clans were reluctant to place Minato at the position of hokage, seeing that the Namikaze clan was pretty much non-existent, however, little by little, the Inuzuka, Aburame, Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara changed their minds and gave a nice evaluation of Minato's government. It didn't take long for the bigger ones, the Hyuuga and Uchiha, to support Minato as well, seeing as how much Minato's reputation echoed throughout the elemental nations.

Leaving the office for the day, Minato smiled upon remembering Jiraya's words about his ability as Hokage. The real test, though, would be under a stressful situation, quite like a war of an invasion of sorts; although, he wished that neither would occur any time soon. However, Minato wasn't naïve enough to expect peace in the ninja world, so he just focused on protecting the ones living within Konoha's walls.

* * *

**===the next day===**

Being accustomed to waking up early, Kurenai was the first one to get off her tent, before she turned to look as the beam of sunlight slightly obscured her vision. The day was beautiful and Kurenai, although in a mission, couldn't help but feel utterly relaxed. Nevertheless, she needed to go fetch Naruto and hear his report of his guard duty. As she walked, she wondered how Naruto could stay up all night and not be even a little bit tired. She kept a façade to her team when she explained that Naruto was accustomed to this type of situation, but she couldn't stop wondering how the blond found the energy to stay awake all night.

Looking up, she saw what appeared to be Naruto's foot and jumped straight up only to sigh in dismay as she saw Naruto playing shogi against what appeared to be a two tailed wolf. "Hey Naruto, it seems I win again, I guess is 4 x 2 to me, then" – Said the wolf companion, before seeing Naruto whine from being close to beat the damn wolf and tie the score. Little did he know, though, that Kurenai was watching the whole thing and silently wondering about the Kazeryuu, B ranked ninja according to Iwa's bingo book, awarded with extra-caution, losing at shogi against a wolf, while he was supposed to be paying attention to the surroundings. After the wolf disappeared, Naruto turned only to see Kurenai looking at him like he was from another planet or something. "What? Do you expect me to just sit here with nothing to do; besides the seal would alert me in case of a breach in my security seals" – Said Naruto, earning a sigh in dismay from the woman who wondered if she should consider, maybe, berating Naruto for not focusing on his designated task or dismiss the issue seeing as the blond was up all night, while she and her team was down there resting for a good eight hours.

Choosing the lather, Kurenai issued Naruto to help her prepare some breakfast for the team to which Naruto nodded and both of them jumped on the ground. "So Naruto; who was your companion back there and why you were playing shogi with your summons?" – Asked Kurenai as she boiled the water for one of her stews. "The wolf's name is Boushin and he's one of Fenrir-sama's advisors. I summon him for time to time for a little play of shogi. The bastard won this time, but next time, I'll bet him for sure. As to why I do this, well I don't know, one day Boushin came to me and asked me about it and I said yes. He likes to play the game and no one would play with him, so I get to summon him from time to time" – Explained Naruto, earning a nod in understanding from Kurenai as she sliced some bread and threw them inside the pan.

After a while, the rest of the team awoke and each had their breakfast, before cleaning camp and leaving towards the capital city for the mission.


	18. Important Information

* * *

**Chapter 18 – Important Information**

**Beta: Dreetje**

* * *

After gathering their supplies, the group headed back towards the Fire Country's capital city. It would take close to half an hour before they reached the biggest city in the country if they settled for a moderate pace, but since they weren't in such a hurry, the group settled for a much slower pace, thus reaching the capital in no more than an hour at the most. During the trip, the two most experienced ninjas were discussing their mission. The information gathering part of the mission wasn't discussed as much as the specifics would have to be addressed once they arrived at the capital, but Naruto and Kurenai were discussing about the possible identity of the Kumo Missing-Nin that the group would probably have to face soon.

"Naruto, my team isn't ready to face any kind of Missing-Nin on their own and I doubt that the enemy is any less than 'A' ranked. We have to think of a way of conducting this mission without relying too much on the Genins" – Said Kurenai earning a nod from Naruto.

"I didn't have time to address to you regarding their abilities, but I imagine that as a team, they'd able to carry the infiltration mission quite nicely, however I'm afraid we have to be together at all times. At the worst possible scenario, we'll split up where I go alone while you go with them or vice-versa. Either way, if the man is as smart as the Hokage said, he will surely hire someone worthy of at least facing a Jounin in battle, if the information the man handles is any indication" – Stated Naruto to which Kurenai turned to think for a while.

If the Missing-Nin was Jounin level, neither she nor Naruto could afford to protect the Genins and fight the man at the same time, so one would have to fight and the other would be responsible for protecting the Genin. Kurenai wondered if Naruto's level was enough for such a foe, even if he acquired a B level ninja status in Iwa. For a Chuunin, Naruto was almost unbeatable in battle, but Kurenai couldn't say the same against a Jounin level ninja. Hell, if the guy is immune to her Genjutsu, she doubted if her abilities were enough as well.

"Naruto, I have a responsibility towards my team and that is to protect them at all costs, I'm sorry but I'll have to place you against the Missing-Nin. Don't worry, though, I'll be right behind you serving as backup for long-range attacks." – Said Kurenai, having no choice in the end, because of her students. Naruto, though, smiled at her and nodded at what she told.

"Don't worry; I'll face the man when the time comes. One of the things I learned from my father is to always protect the next generation no matter what the costs are. I can see, though, how attached to them you are" – Smiled Naruto to Kurenai who smiled, before looking at her team travelling in front of them. Naruto was right, she did grow attached to them in ways that she never thought she would be. Hinata was like a little sister of her while Kiba and Shino were the little brothers.

"I guess you're right on the spot Naruto, though do you think you'll be able to take on the man?" – Asked Kurenai to which Naruto nodded, also thinking about his opponent.

"I was thinking about it as well, Kurenai. Considering the fact that he's a Kumo Missing-Nin, it's very likely that he'll attack us with Raiton Ninjutsu which in turn is weak against Fuuton Ninjutsu. I don't know about his other abilities, but in case he's either a Taijutsu or Genjutsu specialist, I have to watch out for him. My Taijutsu is okay, but if he's a Genjutsu specialist, I guess you'll have to step in my behalf" – Stated Naruto, earning a devious smile from Kurenai who in turn remembered about those awful times when the blond would focus everything on Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, forgetting everything about the illusion arts.

"At last you recognized the superiority of Genjutsu huh. Well don't worry about it, if he's an illusion specialist, I'll step in for you" – Gloated Kurenai, earning a sigh in dismay from Naruto upon remembering this very war between him and the Genjutsu specialist, about which art is better suited for a shinobi. He actually wanted to reply, saying that Genjutsu is a supplementary art, but he was afraid that this discussion would go on until they reached the capital city, so he just agreed with the brunette kunoichi.

"You're right Kurenai, Genjutsu is way better than Ninjutsu. Now, let's focus on the task at hand" – Said Naruto, earning quite a snicker from Kurenai who won this fight, before the group increased the pace towards the capital city. While this interaction was going on, the Genins were listening intently and getting exclusive rights to seeing their sensei at ease with someone and not act like the responsible one. They enjoyed seeing Kurenai gloat about Genjutsu and Naruto choosing not to say the same thing about Ninjutsu; preferring to stop the subject right there, thus giving Kurenai victory in battle. As to the whole discussion, Hinata was more favored to Taijutsu, while both Shino and Kiba relied more on their family's Ninjutsu.

A few minutes passed and the group could see the outskirts of the capital city as it kept growing each step of the way, earning three gasps from the Genins as they landed near a tree only half a mile apart from the first building. Naruto and Kurenai were already used to the city from previous missions. Still they remembered what it was to see the size of the city for the first time, so they understood what the Genins were thinking. Kurenai, being the leader, issued her team to do some recon throughout the city and told them to meet both her and Naruto at the City Inn located near the Daimyou's castle in the middle of the city.

The Genins nodded and scattered towards the big city in front of them. Afterwards, both Naruto and Kurenai remained walking the rest of the trip while Naruto asked Kurenai if letting them wandering around the city wouldn't arouse suspicion. Kurenai, however, dismissed the chances of that occurring since for one, they were Genins whose only suspicion was towards a D level mission throughout the capital city. Naruto thought for a while and agreed with Kurenai on the whole matter. Now if either he or she was caught, than the target would perhaps know that something was wrong.

"So Naruto while they were doing some recon throughout the city, it will be up to us to watch the target's residence in order to see what we will be up against" – Ordered Kurenai, earning a nod from Naruto.

"We'd have to use henges, though since if either one of us were to be seen, than the mission would certainly fail and Orochimaru would, then, be informed of our activities" – Stated Naruto to which Kurenai agreed and began to think of an alibi for their presence inside the capital city since Hito happens to be close to the Daimyou so it wouldn't come as a surprise if the man kept tabs with the capital's police to ensure that he would know when a ninja was around.

After a little bit of discussing, Naruto and Kurenai came up with a perfect alibi which consisted of them being a couple from Lightning Country taking in the sights. Of course, both Naruto and Kurenai didn't want to do this, but hell it was for the sake of the mission…not that they would use this argument for a more 'intimate' alibi in the future.

"Ok Naruto, we'll do this but if you so much as try to improve our alibi's relationship, I'll swear to god I'll neuter you for life, understood" – Threatened Kurenai, however what she didn't expect was the rather angry look from the blond.

"You can't possible thing that I'd do such a thing to both Yuugao-chan and yourself, aren't you Kurenai? I thought you knew me better than that?" – Stated Naruto with a disappointed look on his face, before seeing Kurenai wave her hand in apology.

"Sorry Naruto, it's just that the last person who I did this with thought that touching me from time to time in front of everyone would convince them that we were a couple. Asuma-kun and I weren't together yet so I didn't like it when he touched me but now we're happy together and I don't want to take any chances. I know that you feel the same way for Yuugao-chan, but I, somehow, remembered that very moment" – Explained Kurenai, before seeing Naruto turn his neck to face her, this time with an impassive face.

"Well, you don't have to worry about me doing anything like Asuma-sensei did; so let's try our henges to see if we'd pass as tourists" – Said Naruto, earning a nod from Kurenai who in turn made the hand sign for the **Henge no Jutsu **(Transformation Technique). Instantly, she was wearing a gray kimono, her black hair became blond and her eyes transformed to black.

Naruto smiled at the now unrecognizable once brunette, before also performing the henge. His transformation was more refined, since he has similar looks with the Yondaime. His hair was now longer and he had a pony tail, not to mention that instead of blond, he was now black. The blue eyes were now green and he chooses to wear a suit of all clothes, earning questioned looks from Kurenai. As seeing the imminent question, Naruto explained that this disguise was used a lot and not a soul would think of checking for henges from a man using a suit.

"The suit represents some powerful business man. Also, this is the capital of Fire Country, there will be more men with suits than ninjas with vests in Konoha" – Explained Naruto, earning a nod followed by a compliment on Naruto's wise thinking.

After that, the new couple approached the city, presenting their fake documents that Chuunin and above must possess at all times. It consisted of a special seal that managed to copy the henge transformation as the picture and the ninja would be responsible for a low-level Fuuin jutsu in order to write the important data. After entering, the couple took their map of the city and found Hito's residence as well as the path leading to it.

On the way, both Naruto and Kurenai while appearing to be normal citizens taking a look at the sights, while actually studying the city's landscape and building sizes to know their course of action for the next two weeks. While the buildings were at least twice the size of Konoha's, it wasn't something they couldn't handle by pushing a little bit of chakra to their feet. Also, the couple looked at how the population minded their own businesses so that they could mingle easily with the crowd if they were in need of escaping the enemy's grasp.

"This place is twice as crowed as Konoha during the day. We need to see how guarded the man's house is and establish a safe point near it for us to begin our investigation" – Whispered Kurenai to which Naruto nodded as he continued to walk towards their target's residence.

"It's strange, though, that we're still due to see a single shadow of this city's police. Hito is close to the Daimyou, we must assume he would use the Daimyou's trained samurai to guard the place" – Said Naruto to which Kurenai acknowledged as the couple now saw the house on the horizon. As expected, Hito's residence was better described as a mansion with three floors. The house was surrounded by streets and samurai as Naruto and Kurenai saw. After arriving near the residence, the couple began to search for the mansion's security program. From outside, both Naruto and Kurenai managed to spot samurais doing what appeared to be a scout around the perimeter. Naruto counted four of them and Kurenai spotted the remaining two that were together at the back of the residence.

All they have to do now is to observe the samurai's pattern to decide the appropriate time to invade the house. That being said, the couple went to a local restaurant and asked for a place near Hito's residence. As Naruto continued to observe the house, Kurenai poured some sugar in her coffee and drank it slowly savoring the taste of the black substance. When she looked back at Naruto, she remembered his resolve towards Yuugao and her feminine and inquisitive mind began to work. No matter how Naruto could act mature at times, she couldn't help but wonder about his future with a much older woman. Kurenai felt strange that Yuugao could be so comfortable to be with someone to whom she had to babysit when he was four. It was a strange concept to say the least and she wanted to see for herself.

"Ah first of all, why don't we establish fake names for ourselves for our conversations" – Considered Kurenai, calling Naruto's attention before he began to think of Kurenai's question.

"Well, you could call me Kenshin, I happened to use this name for my undercover missions, how about you?" – Asked Naruto, earning a snicker from Kurenai who wondered about how many undercover missions one ninja does before he or she feels inclined to use the same fake identity for other missions.

"Misao is my name, so Kenshin I was wondering if I could, perhaps, ask a personal question" – Asked Kurenai, earning a nod from Naruto who in time wondered what Kurenai's intentions were by asking something personal in the middle of the mission. "Tell me about your relationship?" – Asked Kurenai, earning a snicker from Naruto who in turn, decided to play a little bit with his co-worker.

"What do you mean, Misao-chan, you're asking about my relationship to you, I don't follow…" – Smiled Naruto as he heard a snort coming from Kurenai followed by a serious look on her face thus indicating that she wasn't so much into the little playtime. Naruto apologized and asked Kurenai what she wanted to know about his relationship with Yuugao. Kurenai nodded and turned to ask questions.

So the conversation went on with Kurenai asking about their relationship more in terms of their interaction with one another. Naruto told her that he and Yuugao's hobbies together involved trading mission and jutsu information as well as going out to restaurants. Naruto even joked that Yuugao was rather angry with him for wanting to have dinner at the ramen stand more than twice a week, thus earning Kurenai's laughter while mentioning her friend making this very complaint on a number of occasions. Afterwards, Naruto explained that he got to meet her parents one time and since then, every time he went to pick her up, he stayed for a while in order to ask her father about Suiton Ninjutsu tips and even learn to cook some of Yuugao's favorite meals from her mother.

The conversation kept going for a while, since they needed to see how the surveillance at night was.

* * *

**===With Team 8===**

After separating from Naruto and Kurenai, the Genins began their scan throughout the immensity that was the capital city. However, it didn't take too long until Hinata and Shino thought about forcing Kiba to shut up. Looking up to someone was one thing, but what Kiba was doing was akin to a fan girl's behavior towards an Uchiha. Hinata understood to some extent from hearing about Naruto from either Neji or her uncle Hizashi. Although Neji was somewhat reluctant to tell the whole thing, her uncle did supply the rest of the information and Naruto's fame was indeed notorious.

Shino, for his part, didn't know much about the blond Namikaze, other than some rumors here and there. His father mentioned something about this Naruto living up to his father's reputation, but he didn't think much of it. Now, the Aburame's were widely known for their rationality and impassiveness, however Kiba was able to get on Shino's nerves and that was saying something.

"Man, I can't believe I got to be on a mission with the Kazeryuu, this way I can see his awesome techniques in battle. Did I ever tell you guys about the time he used the wind dragon technique against three Iwa Jounin at the same time? I mean it, man, he sent those three flying like they were petty little rocks" – Gloated Kiba like he was the number one fan of the Kazeyuu's fan club, earning a sigh in dismay from Hinata and surprisingly, an eye twitching from Shino which indicated he heard the same story quite a number of times.

"Kiba, you've been telling us the same story since we started this mission, I know Naruto-san's fame is quite notorious, but I'm quite sure he did more than just sending three Jounin flying. Neji told me that Naruto was able to use my family's Kaiten and add Fuuton Ninjutsu, thus creating an even greater defense" – Said Hinata to which Kiba shouted about the awesomeness of Naruto's actions. Shino, on the other hand, wondered about the Hyuuga's ultimate defense and turned to think about which one was better. The Hyuuga's Kaiten consisted of expelling normal chakra from every tenketsu and then begin rotation, thus creating a protection dome around the user. Naruto, though, must have expelled Fuuton chakra before beginning rotation, creating what would appear to be a small wind dome around him, thus protecting him.

The only problem, though, about Naruto's technique would be his elemental weakness. It is common knowledge amongst Ninjutsu users, that Katon techniques are stronger than Fuuton techniques so Naruto's dome would do nothing against a fireball technique. The Hyuuga's Kaiten, though, was truly impenetrable thus far, Shino concluded.

The team stopped talking for a moment and resolved to look around the town for a bit. Kurenai's intention wasn't anything related to their mission, but getting to meet new places was also the life of a ninja and she wanted her team to see as much as possible. After a while, three stomachs started growling and they went to a place that sold dango right across the street.

* * *

**===At night in Konoha===**

Inside the Namikaze residence, one red-headed mother was watching her daughter Misao as she was able to hold the bottle of milk while at the same time drinking it. Kushina realized that she could just watch her the whole day and still smile at the little girl's constant laughter and giggling. Misao's laughter was so tranquilizing, Kushina thought. Her eldest son Naruto was sent yet again on a mission and Kushina was wondering if the Minato wasn't pushing Naruto too far with constant missions. Because of Naruto's fame and skills in infiltration, the blond ended up getting most of the missions that consisted of getting inside a place unnoticed.

Minato, at one time, explained to her that Naruto may well be promoted to Tokubetsu Jounin at such art in the future. Of course, Kushina was proud of her son for being a Chuunin at such a young age and she would be even prouder if her son managed to become a Tokubetsu Jounin at such age. However, she feared for his social life. Because of his never ending missions, Naruto barely spent time with his family, let alone with his girlfriend Yuugao. Although, she knew that he was with his team most of the time, it still wasn't healthy to leave so much and she expressed her concern to Minato once. The man understood his wife's motherly concern for her child, but as Hokage, he must do what's best for the village and Naruto understood this part, he said at the time.

_I know, Minato-kun, that our son is to become a legend very soon, but he must have time for himself every now and then _– Thought Kushina as she watched Misao just ending her bottle of milk. "Well Misao-chan, you drank all of the milk quite quickly, you like it don't you?" – Asked Kushina while smiling at the only noise Misao could make with her mouth. Her laughter was enough to confirm Kushina's question as she kissed the baby a couple times, before picking up her daughter's blanket and covering Misao. "Good night Misao-chan" – Said Kushina as she kissed her daughter once more on the cheek, before switching the lights off and leaving the room.

Once she closed the door, she heard her husband entering the house and muttering some curses here and there. Upon reaching the first floor of the house, she saw Minato there opening the window to the garden, before looking up in order to calm his anger somewhat.

"What's the matter honey? Why are you angry?" – Asked Kushina, calling Minato's attention who in turn greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh it's nothing Kushina-chan. Just another heated argument between myself and the council; I swear, one of these days, they'll see the outcome of my ideas and will stop complaining" – Snarled Minato as he remembered the same old complaint coming from both Koharu and Homura, Sarutobi's old team of advisors.

Kushina already knew the topic of discussion and frowned at the council once more. Her husband established a much more conservative policy towards the number of ninjas needed for a mission. His idea was to send more than the needed number in ways of improving the chances of the mission being a success without any sort of negative outcomes. Of course, more ninjas on a mission meant more money to pay their salaries, thus less income to go to the village's vault. Because of Minato's plan, those of the council ended up losing some income, thus the reason why they keep complaining to him about this new policy of his. Those old fools had yet to realize that with a higher number of missions being completed; more mission requests would be filled, thus filling the needed gap.

"They don't even respect their own teammate anymore. Sarutobe supported me with my idea, knowing that the income wouldn't decrease much and the ninja force would only increase with time. In the end, though, that hawk Danzou placed ideas inside their heads and corrupted them for life. They fail to realize, though, that in case of war, Konoha will have less man power to stand" – Stated Minato, earning a nod followed by a sigh in dismay after acknowledging the stupidity of this situation.

"Don't be like this Minato-kun; you're better than them put together. While they think with their pockets, you think about the village's welfare. Now, why don't you relax and I'll prepare some tea for us" – Said Kushina to which Minato smiled and kissed his wife once more.

"What would I do without you Kushina-chan?" – Smiled Minato as he got comfortable on a sofa that happened to face the garden as he heard his wife gloat about her husband being lost without her which earned another smile from the young Hokage. Looking outside, he wondered about how his son was fairing and the possible outcome of his mission at the Capital City. The thought of Orochimaru wanting information about Konoha sent shiver to his spine and he wondered about the snake's intentions. Whatever his intentions were, Minato knew the whole village would be affected as a whole. _His new village Otogakure doesn't have the resources needed for a full-scale war, if that ever happens, so chances are that the snake would lure others to his cause. The problem is that pretty much all the hidden villages, with the exception of Suna, had a rivalry against Konoha, so it would be tough to know. Iwa, no doubt, wants revenge against me because of the Third Shinobi War and my son's reputation surely increased their anger. Kumo is on the same foot as Iwa, from also participating in the war. Kiri was rather neutral and is currently trapped in a civil war between the Mizukage and the Seven Swordsmen, so I guess is safe to exclude them for now. Nevertheless, we should get ready for the worse_ – Thought Minato as he saw Kushina come with a cup of tea and handed it to him.

* * *

**===With Naruto and company===**

After a while apart, the group now gathered inside the hotel they were supposed to meet. Naruto and Kurenai explained their reconnaissance mission towards the target's house. According to Naruto, the house was indeed heavily guarded by highly trained samurais. Kurenai also explained that inside, cameras were installed in key parts of the house, so getting inside, would be extremely difficult.

"Excuse me Kurenai-sensei, Naruto-san, how can we fool a camera, before getting in? Genjutsu wouldn't work, so what leave us?" – Asked Shino, earning nods from Naruto and Kurenai, followed by a smile from the ladder.

"Quite observant Shino, indeed no Genjutsu can fool a camera for obvious reasons. However, you all know how the image is captured by the camera. For it to capture an image, said image must be provided with enough light so that the camera can process it. That's where Konoha's best infiltrator acts. Naruto here has a jutsu that can control his shadow, thus expanding it and covering his entire body. The camera will mostly see all black and won't spot him. However, that will be for later, now our target works inside the Daimyou's castle, so we must do some recon there as well. Our group will use henge and mingle with the tourists that will be taking a tour inside the castle. While inside, Hinata will use her Byakugan to spot our target and try focusing on any material regarding Konoha. Now, we'll get to rest for the night. Since each room has only two beds, Hinata and I will take one while Shino and Kiba will take another. Naruto will have to settle for a single room" – Reported Kurenai, earning a nod from those present before the Genins went to their respective rooms, thus leaving Kurenai and Naruto alone again.

"How developed is Hinata's Byakugan? I know Neji's eyes could read said documents from a distance, but I don't know about her" – Asked Naruto to which Kurenai smiled.

"Her Byakugan is just as developed as Neji's, Both Neji and Hizashi taught Hinata some exercises to expand the Byakugan's reach. I thought about using Shino's bugs to procure some information, but anyone with some ninja training, would detect the Kikaichu bugs, thus endangering the mission's success. We'll have one week to scout the entire building, though, so we're not in rush to get the information" – Said Kurenai to which Naruto nodded and went to his room, before wishing Kurenai a good night sleep.

"Naruto, I was thinking of doing some training for my team, would you be interested in helping me? There is a certain amount of time before we need to infiltrate the castle, so we can use the rest of the day to teach them something useful in the future" – Asked Kurenai to which Naruto accepted, before asking Kurenai about their training so far.

"Their chakra control is already advanced since both tree and water walking was already mastered. They're already proficient in their family abilities, so I tend to test them more in Genjutsu countering nowadays. We could create some stamina exercises and chakra increasing ones. Elemental Ninjutsu, I'm sorry to say, is off limits since their respective clans didn't allow me. I don't know why, but I don't pry, what do you think?" – Asked Kurenai, before seeing Naruto thinking.

"Stamina and chakra increasing exercises are nice enough. Maybe some sparring between them to increase their Taijutsu experience. Also, we could try that little exercise you put me through one time when I was fighting against Neji" – Said Naruto before seeing Kurenai smile in recognition.

"You mean how I used Genjutsu to send some nasty images to your brain while you guys fought against each other? The objective was to dispel the Genjutsu in the midst of a Taijutsu match, that's a good idea, now let's get some sleep" – Stated Kurenai to which Naruto nodded, before turning his back and walking towards his room.

* * *

**===Along the week===**

As the week progressed, the team was steadily improving in their mission. The target was easy to find as he was heavily escorted by bodyguards. They followed him every day beginning from his house to the Daimyou's castle where the group would scatter. Naruto would be alone and Kurenai with her Genins, all of them disguised as simple tourists, while listening to tour guides, explaining about honor codes and the Fire Daimyou's legacy. Hinata's eyes followed Hito to his office where she could read some documents that were in his possession. So far, though, the man was cautious about selecting material to read. Hinata's eyes managed to read about villages within that happened to border with the other countries and how their economic system I fairing.

Nothing of any relevance to the mission, though. After leaving the castle, the group would find an open field and get to practice some stamina exercises. Naruto had an idea of placing a new invention of his father called restriction seals, thus aiding the Genins in raising their strength, speed and stamina altogether. This new seal consisted of increasing the air's resistance, thus making it harder for the user to move his body. At first, the Genins cursed the blond from thinking of such a nightmare, but they accepted and trained with it. In three days, the seal already grew on them and the results began to kick in as they were adjusted to the heavy strain. Naruto chuckled upon seeing Kiba's face after he deactivated the seal. His speed was doubled, but his mind wasn't used to it, thus landing the wrong foot at the wrong time.

As to Kurenai's little playtime, it proved to aid the Genins to act quicker and spot a Genjutsu just after its casting. Hinata managed to break one of Kurenai's Genjutsu in record time, surprising her sensei even if the girl had the Byakugan. Overall, the team's abilities grew tenfold.

Back to the mission, though, the group wasn't having the same luck. The documents located at the castle contained irrelevant information about the country's agriculture and industry. By the end of the first week, the group pretty much forgot about the castle and decided to try his house. The castle was heavily guarded so Hito wouldn't think of sending sensitive information to Orochimaru from his office. So Naruto would have to enter the man's house and look for a black briefcase with the signal of Konoha imprinted on the front. That was the only lead that Hinata found through her Byakugan, but for some reason, she couldn't see what was the briefcase contained. However, they saw Hito carrying the briefcase home.

Back at the hotel, the group was discussing the next course of action for the last week. Shino was to place a kikai bug on the target in order to send information relating to the briefcase and its location while Naruto prepared to infiltrate the place.

"Naruto-san, why do you need to plan before entering it? I thought your jutsu made you invisible to the human eye" – Asked Kiba, earning a smile from Naruto before he explained.

"Kiba, the art of infiltration is much more complex than simply using a jutsu. For instance, a jutsu consumes chakra so the timing of its use must be perfect so that I don't waste it and be able to get the document we seek. Also, while the jutsu prevents someone from seeing me, anyone with a good sense of smell or hearing could detect me without trying very hard. There a lot of aspects to be taken into consideration while infiltrating" – Explained Naruto, before seeing Kiba's eyes getting bigger in realization.

"So, what happens if you get caught?" – Asked Kiba to which Naruto smiled and explained.

"Well, our mission will be jeopardized that's for sure. Hito will know Konoha is after him so he won't send the info to Orochimaru. Also, the Daimyou would demand answers from Konoha as to why I was found inside Hito's house without any proper authorization. Other than that, nothing much, I'm afraid. However, if I were to get caught by an enemy, say another hidden village, I'd be captured and sent for questioning with the possible outcome of death afterwards" – Explained Naruto, before seeing Kiba gulp in fear at such a possibility.

Kurenai explained to Kiba the dangers behind a failed mission and that no matter how good a ninja was, the tables could turn and the ninja would be captured or killed. Moving on, Kurenai would be outside the house alerting Naruto's intercom to any strange activity, thus allowing Naruto more time in case he's discovered to get away without alerting suspicion.

* * *

**===Hito's mansion===**

Getting inside the house perimeter was easy enough for someone of Naruto's caliber. He was hiding behind a big oak tree while watching some guards patrolling the backyard. Their numbers were reduced, but their skills increased as their routes were better trained. By doing this, all of them could cover a much wider angle, so Naruto would have to resort to the ceiling, which actually was his preference anyway. Immediately jumping from the tree to the roof, he looked down to see the guards minding their own business, before continuing his track towards a small window that would lead to the top floor of the house.

"Kurenai, I'm preparing to enter the house, what do you have for me?" – Said Naruto through the intercom, before receiving Kurenai's report saying that the samurais outside the residence aren't doing much, before he continued with his mission.

As he managed to enter the residence from the window, Naruto remembered to look out for the Kumo Missing-Nin, since he could very well be inside the house. Once landing on the ground, Naruto heard footsteps approaching, so he cut his thumb and offered the needed sacrifice, before making hand seals for **Ookami Hijutsu Kage Suterusu **(Wolf Secret Jutsu: Shadow Stealth). Instantly, the shadow below him began to engulf the blond until he was no longer visible. Suddenly, he spotted two samurais looking at his direction, but he could tell they weren't looking at him, so he just waited for them to leave before he began to search for Hito's office. Hinata said it would be the last room on the second floor. Naruto saw a couple of cameras and passed them by, not bothered about them as they couldn't see him with the jutsu active.

Eventually, Naruto managed to reach the stairs that headed for the second floor without alerting anyone so far. He would have to release the jutsu for a while for chakra storage, so he deactivated it and stood close to the stairs, in order to see or sense some chakra presence. After getting comfortable enough, Naruto went down the stairs slowly. Even a single noise would alert the entire house, thus ending the mission. Just after finishing the set of stairs, Naruto saw an empty room and entered before closing the door. Now at the second floor, he would just need to cross the hallway towards Hito's office. Now he just needed to wait for a while for nap time. They knew Hito to be quite strict to sleep, so the man had a specific time to go to bed, which happened to be around eleven. Naruto still had twenty minutes before he would get clearance to head to the man's office.

"Kurenai, I'm already in position, only waiting for Hito to go to sleep" – Communicated Naruto, before receiving an OK response from Kurenai.

From outside the house, not only Kurenai but also her Genin team were listening to a real professional in infiltration doing his work. A few minutes after jumping the mansion's walls and he was already inside the last room, only waiting for their target to go to sleep. From the three, Shino was most impressed since he was a bit skeptic about Naruto's abilities. Now seeing how skilled he was in getting inside unnoticed, it really spoke highly of his skills. Kiba, of course, tried to gloat his awesomeness and Hinata only smiled. Kurenai, though, could see her three Genins and their excitement upon seeing a professional infiltration in action.

"In about ten minutes, Hito will go to sleep and he will be able to walk inside the office, we shall wait until he communicates with us again" – Said Kurenai, earning nods from the Genins.

Back to Naruto, he was focusing some chakra to his ears while closing his eyes, in order to hear as much as possible for any steps along the hallway. So far, the man was still inside his office since he couldn't hear any steps. _Well, I guess the only thing now is wait for a while. _– Thought Naruto.

After ten minutes, faint sound of steps could be heard and it was getting louder which meant that the target was walking towards his room to rest for the night. Naruto's signal for leaving the room would begin once he heard the man climbing the stairs to his room that happened to be on the third floor, with a little surprise that Kurenai thought about. You see, before Naruto went down to the second floor, he went inside the main bedroom and placed some timed sleeping gas, just waiting to be activated upon his arrival.

That left Naruto with plenty of time inside the man's office to dig for information relating to Konoha and if said information was already sent to Orochimaru.

Once the noises were heard, Naruto once again did the jutsu and left the room towards the office. Now inside the office, Naruto deactivated the jutsu and began to look through the documentation on top of the table. A lot of them were irrelevant and didn't tell much. Well, scratch that, it was all irrelevant. The blond searched the room for a while and couldn't find the briefcase that Hinata found with her Byakugan. Something was wrong, though, as they saw Hito carrying it after leaving the office so it meant that either he hid it in another room or it's locked inside a secret compartment.

"Kurenai, could you ask Hinata to use her Byakugan; I need to know if there is a hidden compartment inside this office" – Asked Naruto.

"Naruto, she managed to find a vault behind the frame containing the Daimyou's picture. She couldn't look inside because it's made with a material that prevents the Byakugan from seeing. Can you open it without destroying it?" – Asked Kurenai, through the intercom, but she didn't get the answer right away.

"I admit it's not something I'm proud of doing, but I have quite the experience with opening vaults, ah man I'm a thief" – Whined Naruto through the intercom. Kurenai heard it and tried to suppress a giggle.

"Don't worry Naruto, this will be a secret between us; now open it and see what's inside" – Said Kurenai, before breaking the intercom connection for a while.

Back to Naruto, he took a few tools from his holster and began to work on breaking the safe. This one, while not unbreakable, proved to be quite challenging, since it took nearly twenty minutes for Naruto to open it. Once he got it open, he saw said briefcase, before taking it away and closing the vault. Upon opening, his eyes almost left his sockets and he, now, became rather angry. The damn fool had everything about Konoha's defensive systems, including route patrols for the whole year and its patterns. Naruto also saw that Hito had the security measures in case of an invasion. Naruto learned as he was promoted to Chuunin, that upon an invasion, the first concern is with the civilian's evacuation and then attack the enemies with everything the village has at its disposal. _If Orochimaru gets a hold of this information, he could target the civilians and force the shinobi force towards a trap. This information is fit for someone who wishes to invade Konoha's village, oh Kami….I have to warn Kurenai. _

"Kurenai, I managed to encounter the briefcase and the news aren't good. They have info containing our entire defensive structure and the route patrols for the whole year. I don't know if this information was already sent to Orochimaru, but in case he already know of this info, we can prepare ahead" - Said Naruto through the intercom.

"I'm afraid that this will be enough for our mission Naruto, nice job. Bring the briefcase and we'll go talk to the Daimyou and arrest him for treason" – Said Kurenai, earning an acknowledgement reply from Naruto.

* * *

**===Outside the mansion===**

Once outside, Naruto handed the briefcase to Kurenai before smiling at the blond. However, when Naruto didn't smile back, she was serious in a second. Naruto was narrowing his eyes and she could see a shadow appearing on his left shoulder line.

"I wasn't sure who Konoha would send, but clearly sending the famous Kazeryuu here, was something I didn't expect. The sleeping gas was a nice trick, I managed to find it, but I couldn't stop Hito from falling asleep because of it" – Said the mystery man, before Naruto turned to meet him. The man was wearing an Anbu type gray coat, only exposing his face, however Naruto couldn't figure out who the Missing-Nin was.

"You seem to know about me, but I'm afraid I don't know much about you. I happen to memorize the bingo book and I don't see you in it. Care to explain why?" – Asked Naruto, earning laughter from the Missing-Nin.

"There is a valid reason to that, I'm sure of it. So far, no one who tried to track me down managed to survive the night, that's why there isn't any information relating to my abilities. You on the other hand let them live, hence why I have lots of information about you" – Said the man, earning a snarl in return from Naruto. He gestured for Kurenai to leave with the information and reach the Daimyou in order to explain this mess. The woman was reluctant at first of leaving Naruto alone to fight, unfortunately, she had her Genins to protect. She landed a hand on his shoulders as in asking him to be careful. Naruto nodded and waited for them to leave.

Naruto was surprised the man let them escape with the information and asked him why he let them go so easily.

"Hito hired me for his protection; I don't care about his documents getting stolen. Actually, I was hoping of fighting you alone. It's a rare thing to have someone so young holding such a fearsome reputation throughout the elemental nations. I find myself intrigued to see your abilities" – Said the man, pretty much wanting a challenge against Naruto

"At least tell me your name before we engage in combat. You know mine, but I don't know yours" – Asked Naruto, earning a nod from the man.

"I guess it's only fair, since you'll die today. My name is Higurashi Akira, now shall we engage in fight or you want to talk some more?" – Laughed Akira, before seeing Naruto smile.

"Never was one for talking anyway" – Said Naruto, before grabbing some shurikens and threw them at Akira.

Smiling at the incoming projectiles, Akira just stood there waiting. When the shurikens were about to hit him, Naruto managed to see the static shield appearing in front of the man, thus defending him. Akira didn't waste time talking and focused chakra to his legs, thus charging straight at Naruto. The blond, seeing the incoming attack, grabbed his new trench knifes and charged against Akira with the intent of stabbing the man.

When Naruto was about to land the first cut, Akira suddenly dodged it and flipped his body before aiming an upper kick to Naruto's face. The blond managed to evade, but barely and did a back flip while making some hand seals for **Fuuton Reppushou **(Wind Release: Gale Wind Palm Jutsu). When Naruto landed his feet on the ground, he expelled a concentrated wind beam towards Akira. The man was surprised at first, but managed to dodge before beginning his own series of hand seals.

**Raiton Gian **(Lightning Release: False Darkness Jutsu). The lightning shot was fast so Naruto used his wind defense in order to divert the lightning from him. Now it was time to attack as Naruto charged with his trench knifes and attacked Akira with a series of slices. As Naruto attacked, he was seeing the advantage with his new trench knifes. Since the new ones resembled little kodashis, Naruto could extend his attacks and link it in a sequence. Akira was at disadvantage, simply because he had to resort to Taijutsu against Naruto's two swords. The man was having a tough time dodging, so he jumped backwards after the last attack.

"You're good Kazeryuu, I'll admit, but you're far from being at an advantage here" – Said Akira, before he began a large series of hand seals. "**Raiton Rairyuudan (**Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Jutsu)" – Whispered the Missing-Nin, before seeing Naruto's face contort in worry. The lightning dragon was recently stolen from Kumo's vault nearly a year ago. The technique was declared a Kinjutsu because no one had the chakra capacity to use the technique and not die from lack of chakra. Naruto realized the danger he was in. As the dragon began its formation, Naruto's mind began to process his alternatives. The technique caused a lot of damage and should Naruto get hit, he would be lucky if he escaped alive.

"Prepare to die Kazeryuu" – Shouted Akira, before sending the lightning dragon straight at Naruto hitting him dead on. An explosion soon followed and several houses were destroyed. The man was grinning madly at being able to destroy the famous Kazeryuu and son of the Yellow Flash of Konoha.

"I wouldn't do the victory lap just yet if I were you, Akira" – Said Naruto as he got out of a darkened corner. Akira snarled at the blond surviving a Kinjutsu and asked him how he did it.

"One downsize about your technique is that it takes too long to prepare, thus giving the enemy plenty of time to prepare a counter-attack. The one you destroyed was actually one of my Kage Bunshin. Now, that you used a lot of chakra, I guess you can't use anymore jutsu, it's time to end this" – Said Naruto as he charged towards Akira, while throwing his trench knifes in front of him before making hand seals. "**Fuuton Hishou no Taka** (Wind Release: Flight of the Falcon Jutsu)". What happened next was that Naruto pretty much vanished in thin air and one second later, he was already in front of Akira shoving his trench knifes through the man's chest, killing him instantly.

The technique consisted of two parts. First, Naruto used his wind chakra to eliminate the air resistance in front of him, thus gaining faster movements. Second, he expels a huge burst of wind chakra from his back, thus earning an incredible speed. Since the air in front of him wouldn't interfere with his movement, Naruto's speed would quadruple, thus attacking the enemy before he had a chance of dodging or evading the blow. While it was similar to the Hiraishin, it certainly was slower, so it wasn't as deadly as his father's technique. That didn't mean, though, that it would be less feared.

This was the scene that Kurenai, the Genins and Daimyou along with his royal guard arrived. They arrived to see Naruto making some hand seals before he vanished and a second later, he already killed the man. Kurenai was stunned by such an attack while the Genins were speechless. Hinata with her Byakugan couldn't follow his movements and even Shino was opening his mouth, not being able to grasp this technique. The Fire Daimyou could only smile at the scene, since he recognized the famous Kazeryuu and his ability with wind jutsus.

He found out about Hito's plans against Konoha from Kurenai and issued an arrest order. Unfortunately, the group couldn't be sure if Orochimaru received the information or not, but at least they found out what the information contained. This way, Konoha could be prepared in case Orochimaru decides to use this information.

* * *

**===Next day===**

After the arrest, Konoha's ninjas stood in front of the Fire Lord, while he was sulking from lack of trust in people nowadays.

"I never knew Hito was doing this behind my back. That information was confidential and if Orochimaru got a hold of it, Konoha may be in serious trouble. I feel responsible for the events that happened here and I'll send word of apologies for the Yondaime Hokage. I just hope that the information that your team Kurenai, helped to obtain, is enough to protect yourselves from that snake" – Said the Daimyou, earning a nod from Kurenai.

"Fear not Daimyou-sama, our village will be more vigilant for any type of threats that lurks within our walls. However, I bet the Hokage awaits the information anxiously, so it wouldn't be wise to keep him waiting" – Said Kurenai, earning a smile, followed by a nod from the Fire Lord, who then turned to Naruto who happened to stand next to Kurenai.

"Well my boy, I guess your reputation precedes you, I've never saw such a technique before and it looked similar to your father's Hiraishin technique. You're very interesting and I'll be sure to follow your shinobi career with interest. Say hi to your father for me, will ya" – Asked the Daimyou, before seeing a polite nod from the Namikaze heir.

Soon after, the team left the capital city, straight to Konoha. Kurenai, though, couldn't take away her curiosity from that attack and asked Naruto about it. Of course, Naruto wouldn't just pass the opportunity to get a rise out of her.

"I'll gladly explain it to you Kurenai. However, you must first agree that Ninjutsu is a better art than Genjutsu" – Said Naruto innocently, before smiling upon hearing a snort from the woman.

"That will never happen Naruto, so you could just stop trying" – Stated Kurenai, however her curiosity only increased and Naruto knew that.

"Fine, then, I won't explain my technique to you" – Smiled Naruto, earning yet another snort from Kurenai who kept muttering the word 'smartass' over and over again, earning laughter from the Genins, well except for Shino, but he didn't count.


	19. Trouble in Wave Country

**

* * *

****Chapter 19 – Trouble in Wave Country**

**Beta: Dreetje**

* * *

It took close to a day for Naruto and company to arrive at Konoha with the information about Orochimaru and how much he knows about the hidden village in the leaves defensive system. During the way, Naruto and Kurenai kept talking with one another, mostly about Naruto's new assassination technique and how it worked. Of course, Kurenai only managed to get said information after she 'admitted' which ninja art is better than the other. Of course, she just said it to hear Naruto's technique, but it was much fun for Naruto to hear those words coming out of someone who worships the illusions like Kurenai.

After passing the gates, Kurenai dismissed her team to rest for the day and meet her tomorrow for team training. She and Naruto, though, had to report the mission's partial success to the Hokage who, then, would know what to do. Along the way, Naruto asked Kurenai about the repercussions of Orochimaru having that much information about the village's defenses to which the woman simply responded that she didn't like to think about it, saying that the snake would have better advantage of striking Konoha where it truly hurts.

"Anko shared some stories of Orochimaru that send shivers up my spine, Naruto. In the beginning of the Last Shinobi War, for instance, Orochimaru was responsible for brutal acts towards enemies. Of course, we were at war and surely the enemy would do worse to anyone of us, but the things he did at the time was like anything I've seen in my career and I've seen a lot of bad things, trust me" – Said Kurenai, earning a nod from Naruto who then looked forward.

"Hokage-same once told me about this man. He said that Orochimaru's nature was what made the Sandaime Hokage change his decision from nominating the snake his successor. In the end, the Yondaime Hokage was picked both from his skills and his leadership ability. I shiver only to imagine what would happen if someone as Orochimaru was nominated for the Yondaime position" – Stated Naruto to which Kurenai couldn't help but agree, wondering what would happen if the snake became the Hokage. Wondering a little about it, Kurenai wondered if her friend Anko would be different than she came out to be because of the man's betrayal. She could very well become cold and distant towards others, since she was his apprentice in the past, before she was betrayed by the snake.

"Thank kami for the Sandaime's reason in this manner for nominating your father, instead. Now, however, if Orochimaru knows that much our system of defense, maybe it's wise to consider another encounter with him" – Concluded Kurenai to which Naruto nodded as they looked left to the Hokage's Office Building.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's office===**

Not only Minato, but also Hiruzen Sarutobi was present and they got to hear Kurenai's report on her team's mission towards the capital city. And to hear that Orochimaru got hold of Konoha's defense mechanism was troublesome, indeed. The Sandaime was deeply disturbed that his ex-student was causing all this trouble for such a petty reason as not being picked for the Yondaime Hokage's position.

"Kurenai-san, can we be sure that Orochimaru received the information?" – Asked Minato, though he was surprised to see that she couldn't say for sure.

"It's impossible to say Hokage-sama. Naruto-san managed to retrieve the information about our defenses, but we didn't find any proof that Orochimaru received the information. I believe that our best course of action would be to presume that Orochimaru has knowledge of our defenses, since we already have proof, from Yamato's mission, of his link with Orochimaru" – Explained Kurenai to which Minato and Sarutobi nodded, before Sarutobi turned to Minato.

"I believe we must have a meeting, afterwards, with the clan heads to discuss the changes that must be done to prevent Orochimaru from invading" – Advised Hiruzen to which Minato nodded, before turning to his shinobi in front of him.

"Naruto, were you able to identify the missing-nin that Hito hired for protection?" – Asked Minato to which Naruto nodded, before throwing a scroll at his father.

Minato caught it and looked at his son for a second before realizing that the very answer to his question was inside the scroll, before he unstrapped the cord and opened a scroll to reveal a specific kanji designed for body storage.

"His name was Higurashi Akira, history unknown except for the fact that he was the one who stole the scroll for the Lightning Dragon Technique from Kumo's vaults, being that what I presume, and the reason for him being a missing-nin. I have yet to determine which rank he officially is, but his chakra level and mastery of Raiton element suggests to me that he is at least Jounin level" – Explained Naruto, earning a nod from Minato, before he settled the scroll to be sent to analysis later.

"Method of killing?" – Asked Minato, while he began to write the name of the one who killed the missing-nin and the means used for it.

"After he used the Lightning Dragon Technique on me, which I may add, was quite destructive, Akira was practically empty of chakra and therefore open for a quick attack. I used the assassination technique called **Fuuton Hishou no Taka **(Wind Release: Flight of the Falcon Jutsu) and killed him by thrusting both my twin knifes through the man's heart" – Explained Naruto, earning a smile from Minato and a surprised look from Sarutobi, who although knew some aspects about Naruto, he clearly didn't reached the surface of what there is to know about the little blond.

"Kurenai-san, Naruto, good job on the mission well done; both of you are dismissed. Naruto, when we settle the bounty for Akira, we'll let you know" – Said Minato, before turning to the old man next to him.

"Your son is quite the shinobi, Minato-kun, my congrats" – Said Hiruzen to which Minato showed that big smile of his which showed how much proud he was of his son..

"He is growing up remarkably well, indeed. Now, we need to move on to more pressing manners" – Said Minato to which Hiruzen nodded and smiled. One of the things that impressed Sarutobi upon choosing Minato as his successor was this determined look that Minato displayed when solving a tough issue. "Who do you think will side with the snake if he plans on invading us?" – Asked Minato, earning a nod from Hiruzen, who began to think of the four other hidden villages that Orochimaru visited on his travels.

"Kumo and Iwa would be the obvious choice, even though we recently closed a deal of neutrality with Kumo, but Orochimaru know that we'd assume them, so he would go for one which we last expect. Kiri is at civil war, so it's unlikely that Orochimaru would be able to convince the Mizukage to grant my ex-student some of his army. That leaves Suna for us to consider. Of course, all of these are speculations as Orochimaru could very well side with Iwa and Kumo and even convince Suna to aid him to destroy us. Orochimaru is a snake and would use every weapon or argument at his disposal to convince a kage to side up with him in this invasion" – Explained Sarutobi, showing to Minato that even though the Sandaime possessed a kind soul, he wasn't stupid as to believe in the good of those who once wronged him. Plus the fact that Orochimaru represents one of the wrong decisions he made as Hokage and now wishes to end this once and for all.

"I see you thought of everything old man, I wonder, though, if your grief over not doing what you thought was right at the time is what's feeding you right now?" – Asked Minato, before seeing the Sandaime closing his eyes in retrospect to his chance of stopping Orochimaru a long time ago and him choosing to let him go. At the time, he felt pity from the one he once considered his own child. Now, though, he could only feel regret from letting someone as powerful as one of the sannin free to do whatever he desired.

As he opened his eyes, Minato could very well see the heavy burden placed by Orochimaru upon betraying not only the village, but the trust of someone who didn't ask for much in return, only loyalty.

"It's true that not doing what was the right thing to do haunts me to this very day Minato-kun. From all the wrong decisions I've made in the past, this was definitely the worst. However, with age you learn that no matter what you do now or in the future, you cannot change what happened in the past. I have to be ready in case he comes here. At that time, pity stopped me from stopping him, but now things will be different" – Said Hiruzen as he was speaking to a mirror, which earned a smile from Minato.

"You don't need to face him alone, you know. You'll have me as well as Jiraiya to aid you in fighting him. Now, apart from discovering which village will aid Orochimaru, we need to assemble the clan heads and figure out a new plan of defense. Also, we should consider our time table, since we are still don't know when he will choose to invade" – Said Minato to which Hiruzen nodded, thus adding it to the list of discussions to be held later on with the clan heads. "One thing for sure is that I won't be having dinner at home today" – Said Minato makin Sarutobi laugh, remembering Kushina's temper on certain occasions.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

After leaving the Hokage's office, Naruto and Kurenai said their goodbyes and each went to their own things. Naruto wanted to say hi to Yuugao at the Anbu Headquarters and then rest for the day at home, while Kurenai went to look for Asuma. Naruto wanted to see Asuma as well to tell him about the new trench knifes, but that could wait as Naruto was really tired from the mission. Walking for a while, he reached the place where his girlfriend was located, only to receive information that Yuugao was out with her team on a mission and would only arrive later today.

Frowning over not being able to see her yet again, Naruto turned to go home when the thought of noodles reached his stomach. It didn't take too long for the starved Namikaze to reach Ichirakus, before screaming for a couple of bowls of the magnificent food of the gods. Just as Naruto sit on the table, he heard a much familiar voice, before looking at where it came from only to see Neji, TenTen and Anko standing there.

"Hello there Mr. Diplomat, I haven't seen you all in a while, how was the mission?" – Asked Naruto, before hearing Neji snort at the mention of diplomacy, since he'd rather use those damn councilors as practice dummies for his jyuuken. Anko couldn't help but smile hearing a Hyuuga snort, while mumbling some curses and explained to Naruto that although she and TenTen enjoyed it, Neji wanted to beat some sense into them, earning laughter from Naruto.

"Well, then, glad I wasn't there then. I guess politics isn't my thing, I'd go crazy dealing with those kinds of people" – Smiled Naruto to which TenTen laughed.

"Yeah, me neither but since Neji-kun's family has diplomatic relations with other villages, the Hokage sent us as security guards. I'm just glad that we are back home. Even though we were sleeping at hotels, we were always on the look for anyone trying to kill Neji, so we couldn't just relax, but in the end, no one tried anything stupid and it became boring as hell" – Said TenTen to which Naruto nodded, before Anko decided to ask something.

"Naruto, I head you went on a mission with Kurenai and her brats, is she in town as well? – Asked Anko, earning a nod from Naruto.

"We just left the Hokage after reporting, she went to find Asuma-sensei, don't know where, though" – Said Naruto as he accepted the bowl of ramen from Teuchi and began eating the fantastic noodles. Seeing no reason to go after Kurenai, Anko joined Naruto and asked for some miso ramen as well. Neji and TenTen joined in seeing as team reunions were harder these days, because of Naruto's infiltration expertise.

Throughout the meal, the team managed to exchange quite a lot of information about each mission and how their training is coming along. After the Chuunin promotion, missions appeared almost like every day and it's rare when the members of the old team manage to go on a mission together. Anko did explain that this serves to better train Chuunin's teamwork by setting them with other ninjas, but every once in a while, it was vital to place them on a mission, you know for old time sake. During the meal, Naruto talked about the missing-nin he fought and that he saw firsthand what the Rairyuudan technique can do, earning open mouths at least from Anko and TenTen, since Neji had to make the stuck up posture.

"Are you serious, Naruto? How do you manage to escape? I take it this Akira person blew up a whole block with this technique" – Asked TenTen, earning a nod from Naruto.

"It did, but the technique has two serious setbacks. One it takes too long to prepare, thus give you time to think of a way to get away, I for instance, left a Bunshin there to take the hit while I went to hide some distance away from the incoming blast. The other setback is that it takes way too much chakra to use it, hence why I believe it was why Kumo declared the technique forbidden" – Explained Naruto to which everyone nodded, before continuing to eat the noodles in front of them.

"Oi Naruto, what about the Jounin exams? Are you going through with it this year?" – Asked Neji, but once again received a no in response. Theoretically, Naruto held up all the necessary requirements for the Jounin exams. He had mastery over two elements and was now mastering the third and the amount of missions he had in his profile were enough as well. However, Naruto would always say he wasn't ready yet to take the exams. At first, Neji accepted since the blond was thirteen years at the time, but now he had already two years of Chuunin and therefore, ready to face the Jounin trials.

"Neji, I'm still not ready yet. I don't have what the Hokage expects of a Jounin. I'm too hot-headed at times and I wouldn't know the first thing about being a Jounin-sensei. Either way, there is plenty of time for me to learn what's needed, before attempting the trials. What about you Neji? Being a Hyuuga, the rule about the elements doesn't apply, but still you have mastery in Doton Ninjutsu, plus your mission record is the same as mine, if not bigger, why don't you take the Jounin exams" – Asked Naruto.

"I plan to take it next year. You're my rival and I expect you to take it with me" – Said Neji, more like demanding, but Naruto just nodded and turned to eat his noodles.

TenTen and Anko would just listen to them talk, without muttering a single world. Every time, Neji asked the Jounin exam question, Naruto would negate, saying that he's either not ready or not in the mood to do the Jounin exams. Actually, the women agreed with both Neji and Naruto. They knew Naruto was strong enough to handle the Jounin exams, but Anko knew that Naruto's state of mind right now isn't particular to a Jounin. TenTen just couldn't know since she wasn't one, but any Jounin would agree with Naruto that he needed more experience, not in being able to finish missions, but rather learning how to cope with the possibility that many things could go wrong and when things go wrong, people die. Naruto needs to know this before even thinking of being able to attend the exams.

Towards Neji, she thought the same thing, though Neji's missions were quite different than from Naruto's. Some of Neji's mission resulted in death and he managed to cope with it nice enough.

Eventually, Naruto and his team paid the bill and the blond said his goodbyes to his team with the promise of meeting once again. Afterwards, the blond went straight to his house to get some sleep. Tonight there was a full moon once more and he already settled his place at his house's rooftop with of course, a second seat for Yuugao to join him.

It didn't take long before Naruto was in front of his house as he opened the door, before screaming for his mother inside the house.

"Kaa-san, you're home?" – Shouted Naruto, before hearing his mother shouting from the kitchen.

"I'm at the kitchen Naruto-kun, glad to see you returned from your mission safe and sound, how was it?" – Asked Kushina as she saw her son appearing with a smile on his face, before he opened the refrigerator door and grabbing a bottle of milk.

"It was fine, we managed to uncover some hidden trails and we even sent one of the most trustworthy men behind the Fire Lord's rule. He was linked of sending information to one of our enemies and therefore arrested. After that, we came back and just arrived. I'm sorry Kaa-san, but I'm really tired right now, I'll go take a nap, okay" – Asked Naruto, before Kushina nodded and smiled to her son, before seeing him going up the stairs. She knew her son to be a chakra powerhouse, just like his father so for him to feel this tired meant that he used quite a bit of his resources in this last mission.

* * *

**===On the road towards Wave Country===**

Hatake Kakashi was considered one of the best shinobi there was in Konoha. He was responsible for aiding the Yondaime Hokage at the last great shinobi war and granting victory to Konoha in the process. Nowadays, being Anbu captain, he was well on his way to creating a legacy just like his father did. However, he never thought he would wear the regular Jounin clothing again, since he made crystal clear that he just didn't want to become a regular Jounin and pick up three Genins to train. The Yondaime accepted and placed another Jounin to tutor Team 7 which consisted of Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura Haruno and Sai.

Close to one week before today, Kakashi was called by the Hokage with the news that team seven's Jounin was killed on a solo mission that should've been an easy C ranked, but instead turned into an assassination A ranked. Unfortunately, the target was just too strong and killed him without much effort. Also, the Hokage placed him to tutor this Genin team.

Looking back at his new charges, Kakashi couldn't help but see the irony in all this from leaving a team of Anbu to a team of Genins. _What was Minato-sensei thinking when he assigned me to deal with kids? There were are plenty of Jounin who could handle this job, but no, he send me to do it" – _Thought Kakashi as he heard Sai making jokes about Sasuke's dick size and Sakura blushing like crazy from picturing her crush in his birthday costume.

Kakashi actually found it amusing to hear Sasuke get mad after such petty taunting and the possibility of pushing these kids to the brick of exhaustion could be entertaining. Another entertaining part of it all was the type of missions his team would now have, the Jounin wondered as he looked at the old man they were escorting back home. Tazuna had already requested assistance from Naruto's team a while back to gather material for a bridge he was building and the two missing ninjas that tried to attack him showed Kakashi that this mission might not be a walk in the park as he first figured. The worst part of it was that the two Chuunins managed to escape by attacking Sakura, obliging Kakashi to protect her, thus letting them go.

From experience, he knew that their next enemy would be someone stronger, maybe a Jounin one second later his experience paid off as his instincts demanded him to shout for everyone to duck as an incoming sword suddenly appeared flying above the ninjas, before sticking it on a tree nearby. When Kakashi looked up, he paled since there standing on top of the zanbatou was none other than Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist. _Of all the enemy I could have to face, it had to be him. The master of silent killing, Momochi Zabuza; how can I fight him while having to worry about both the client and the Genins – _Thought Kakashi, before getting up and turning to his team.

"Everyone protect the client, delta formation. Don't attack this guy, he's way out of your guys league" – Said Kakashi as he focused his eyes on Zabuza, who in turn began to laugh.

"Sharingan no Kakashi, it's an honor to face you. I never thought Konoha would send someone as famous as you to protect the old man; doesn't matter though, hand Tazuna to me and I promise not to kill your little Genins" – Laughed Zabuza to which Kakashi frowned and cursed this man from already enticing fear on the Genins. Kakashi could already feel the killing intent of a demon emerging and also the fear of his Genins. He couldn't blame them; of course, this sort of killing intent is common to Anbu level of fights, not Genins. And even though, Minato's new school system, none of the students could manage fight a Jounin, much less someone like Zabuza.

"Don't worry guys, I'll protect you all with my life, it's a promise" – Said Kakashi as he turned to his team and smiled to them. Zabuza, though, only laughed before focusing some chakra.

"Let's see you keeping that promise, Kakashi" – Said Zabuza as suddenly, a heavy fog engulfed the entire arena, thus obscuring their visions. Kakashi for his turn, used his Sharingan and began to scan for Zabuza's presence, until he saw the vision that made him wide his eyes in fright and curse Zabuza's abilities. The man simply appeared behind the bridge builder in the middle of the Genin's formation without anyone noticing him yet. He had to move fast or else Zabuza would kill Tazuna and even possibly, harm the Genins as well. He wondered, though, why Sasuke wasn't able to see the man, but waved it off as Sasuke wasn't used to this level of fighting. Quickly, he charged and managed to stop Zabuza from slicing Tazuna's body in half by piercing a kunai right at Zabuza's chest, before he transformed into water.

Kakashi cursed the Mizu Bunshin before he felt a heavy foot impact on his chest sending him flying towards the river, but Kakashi managed to grab Zabuza's leg and flipped his body, before landing one kick of her own, thus taking Zabuza away from the client.

"Take the client and run, I'll hold him off, go" – Shouted Kakashi, before charging at Zabuza's position, not even knowing if they would acknowledge the order or not. However, Kakashi forgot that he wasn't talking to Anbus, but scared Genins.

As he landed on the lake, he was suddenly surrounded by an army of Mizu Bunshins. Without warning, all ten of them jumped in and attacked Kakashi simultaneously. Using just a kunai, Kakashi's agility was better as he managed to slice them all with fast coordinated attacks.

"Very good Kakashi, it seems your legend precedes you. Let's see if you handle to fight me in my territory" – Said Zabuza as he suddenly emerged from within the lake and charged Kakashi with his zanbatou, managing to cut a few of Kakashi's hair in the process. Kakashi managed to dodge the attack, before using his kunai and cause a deep cut on Zabuza's stomach, before the demon back flipped and used chakra for speeding his movements in water and attacked Kakashi, who in turn saw everything in slow motion and dodged the attack before punching Zabuza.

"It's useless Zabuza, I can see all your movements with the Sharingan" – Said Kakashi as he suddenly saw Zabuza making hand seals.

"We'll see about that Kakashi, **Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu **(Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu)" – Said Zabuza as the water dragon suddenly charged Kakashi, who in turn jumped out of the way, before making a hew hand seals of his own. **Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu). The fireball charged Zabuza, who in turn just stopped his chakra flow and dived to escape the technique which upon contact with the water, it condensed to steam.

Zabuza appeared on top of the water once more and charged Kakashi once more. However, he wasn't alone as two Mizu Bunshins attacked Kakashi from behind. The silver haired Jounin closed his eyes for an instant, before he opened with force as he made some hand seals for **Raiton Jibashi **(Lightning Release: Lightning Current Jutsu). The current was immediately connected to the water and increased in both speed and strength as it hit Zabuza dead on, thus eliminating the Mizu Bunshins and sending Zabuza flying to the near tree where he bumped hard.

Kakashi was about to finish the demon when a couple of senbons suddenly pierced Zabuza's neck, thus ending his life. Just as Kakashi closed in on the body, a strange hunter-nin appeared.

"I'm in debt with you Kakashi for helping me hunt Zabuza. I'll be on my leave now" – Said the hunter, before he suddenly disappeared with Zabuza's body as well, thus earning suspicion from Kakashi. A real hunter-nin would just dispose the body right there and then, before taking something to serve as evidence of his kill. _Shit, first the demon brother and now Zabuza and it appears the hunter-nin is with them as well. I can't deal with all four of them alone, I must warn Minato-sensei and call in for reinforcements_ – Thought Kakashi as his team soon joined him.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright?" – Asked Sakura, earning a smile from Kakashi, who immediately covered his Sharingan from fear of chakra loss, but it was already too late.

"Yes Sakura, I'm alright, it's just that…." – Said Kakashi, but suddenly passed out from using too much chakra.

After consecutive screams coming from Sakura from thinking that Kakashi was dead, Sai explained that he was suffering from chakra depletion and turned to Tazuna for a place for Kakashi to rest. The old man told them to follow him to his house which wasn't so far away.

* * *

**===The next day===**

Slowly opening his eyes, Kakashi looked at what appeared to be a white ceiling, wondering if he was inside a hospital before turning his head to see a beautiful brunette lady preparing some medicine for him.

"Ah good to see you're up there, your group was worried sick about you, how are you feeling?" – Asked the woman to which Kakashi nodded while explaining that he was feeling much better now.

"Excuse me, but do you know where my team is? I need to discuss certain things with them" – Asked Kakashi.

"They are downstairs, I'll call them right away" – Said the woman to which Kakashi would later know that her name was Tsunami, before she screamed for the Genins to appear before their teacher. Some minutes later, Sasuke Sakura and Sai appeared greeting their sensei, before seating next to him forming a circle.

"Listen carefully, this mission just progressed from a C to A ranked. As it is, we'll be up against four high level missing-nins and even if we train hard enough, we won't be able to take on them. I'll be calling for reinforcements" – Explained Kakashi, before Sasuke snarled.

"Why you need reinforcements for? We can take them" – Said Sasuke, but Kakashi nodded his head, before looking at the Uchiha.

"I barely managed to win against Zabuza and there are three more of them against you guys. For Genins, you are certainly strong but not against Chuunins and Jounins. Also, I can't fight Zabuza and worry about protecting you at the same time. I'll be sending a note to the Yondaime Hokage to send in some reinforcements to aid us in this mission" – Said Kakashi, before seeing Sasuke look down in shame probably because of his so called Uchiha pride or something else, but Kakashi didn't bother to know what. "Don't worry Sasuke, I'll be training all of you for the fight, we still don't know how many will appear next time and we should be ready by the time they appear. For now, let's focus on increasing your skills and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

* * *

**===In Konoha===**

After having some breakfast with Yuugao, Naruto was now searching for Asuma to talk about the trench knifes. His girlfriend arrived in time to spend some time with Naruto below the full moon. It was nice and they managed to share a nice picnic. Also, Yuugao slept with Naruto, since the girl was quite tired from her mission. The couple woke up together and decided to have breakfast at a bakery next to the Namikaze Compound.

All in all, life was good for the blond. Now, he was searching for Asuma about the new knifes. He went to the training ground that he used to train the Genin team and found him overseeing Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji's training on Taijutsu.

"Good morning Asuma-sensei" – Shouted Naruto, drawing Asuma's attention away from the Genins, before hearing silent prayers for a little break. Upon hearing it, Asuma smiled and then looked at Naruto once more.

"Hello there Naruto, back from the mission I see? So, how were the new knifes?" – Asked Asuma, before seeing Naruto pick them from his holster and showing it to the bearded shinobi.

"They are very dependable, be sure of it. They feel like two nodachis instead of knives. However it's bigger than the old ones, it's less served for attacking and more for defending from the attacks. It was quite difficult to maneuver them accordingly, but in the end I managed quite nicely and managed to defeat an enemy with it. Tell me Asuma-sensei, what were your intentions for changing them?" – Asked Naruto, earning a smile from Asuma.

"For the very reason you said Naruto. The old ones were mostly used for attacking. You knew how hard it was to defend against bigger weapons; you had to know exactly where the attack would hit, but now you can position either one of the new knives on a certain position and be able to cover more parts of your body. Besides, the little offensive set back is easily fixed with experience"- Explained Asuma, earning a nod from Naruto.

"Also, I found out we can extend the wind chakra even further from the weapon, thus transforming into a bigger sword" – Stated Naruto to which Asuma smiled, before seeing his three Genins on the ground sleeping.

"Excuse me, Naruto, but I have to wake my Genins up. IF they are tired now, let's see how they'll be when I'm really through with them" – Said Asuma as he walked towards the Genins while laughing a little bit to which Naruto smiled and turned to leave towards a training ground to practice his third element. Naruto never thought he would enjoy learning Suiton (water), since he practically grew up with Raiton (lightning) and Fuuton (wind). But then again, it was new and he enjoyed the feeling of getting strong enough to overcome his father in time.

Arriving at the training ground that happen to be located near a small river, Naruto stepped on the water and closed his eyes for a second, while initiating the usage of Suiton chakra inside his coils. This procedure regarding the other two elements happened in a blink of an eye, but since the third one wasn't his affinity, he had to practice to make it to where he takes less time to prepare as possible.

A couple of minutes later, Naruto was already able to move the water using chakra, being this an introduction exercise for Suiton practice. Naruto would start moving the water slowly, until he managed to form a whirlpool. After that, he would use more chakra to expand the whirlpool and keep the entire lake spinning. Of course, this was a high level exercise and usually only those with the appropriate affinity can attempt to do it, but after a lot of hard work, Naruto managed to overcome the affinity deficiency.

Naruto wanted to try a hidden mist jutsu he heard from Yuugao called after the very same village which consisted of creating a heavy fog obscuring the opponent's vision almost a hundred percent, but first he had to be able to at least five minutes controlling the whirlpool in order to complete the exercise. Chakra depletion wasn't his concern since he acquired a couple of chakra pills just in case, so when he would feel dizzy, one of these bad boys were enough to recharge his batteries at least enough for him not to pass out.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's office===**

Looking outside the window of his office, Minato was taking a break from the many events that happened and those about to happen. The meeting with the clan heads would begin in a while and Minato wanted to sort out everything before starting the meeting. He actually wanted to know what Orochimaru had found out, so he could narrow the changes that needed to be done, but that was impossible. Minato didn't think that Naruto failed in his mission, quite the contrary, his son managed to find enough information to show that Konoha needed to change the defensive system implemented by the Sandaime Hokage upon the last ninja war.

Coming to think about it, Orochimaru was one of the Sandaime's students so it was easy to link the fact that the snake knew every damn thing about the village's safety procedure. Suddenly, a little smoke appeared on top of Minato's office, revealing it to be Pakkun, Kakashi's summon, which mean that something wrong happened in Wave Country. Minato already knew something was wrong the minute Tazuna came in asking for the mission. Gatou's operations there were blooming and Tazuna's bridge would cease the corrupt business man's ambitions, hence why Kakashi was sent with the Genin team.

"_Hokage-sama, Kakashi sent you a message and is waiting for a reply" –_ Said Pakkun, before Minato nodded and opened the scroll. As Minato read it, his eyes widen upon passing by the names of Zabuza and the Demon Brothers trying to attack Tazuna. He finished reading the part where it says that the mission was upgraded to A ranked and that Kakashi requested reinforcements.

After closing the message, Minato wrote a reply and gave to Pakkun to deliver to Kakashi in Wave Country, before shouting to bring before him, two names.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

By this time, the entire lake became alive as Naruto would control the water to form a gigantic whirlpool, thus performing a Suiton technique called **Suiton Daibakuryuu (**Water Release: Great Exploding Current Jutsu). The jutsu was considered B ranked, but for someone without the affinity, it was 'A' ranked, regarding the chakra necessary to use it. After managing to finish the time needed, Naruto stopped the flow of chakra and tried breathing easily. Maintaining said jutsu took a lot of chakra, but it was worth it in the end as he got more used to the third element.

Just as he inhaled a chakra pill, Neji appeared out of nowhere.

"Naruto, the Hokage awaits us at this office, let's go" – Said Neji, earning a smile from Naruto at the thought of finally having a mission with his friend and rival.

"Let's go Neji" – Shouted Naruto.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's office===**

Once at the Hokage's office, Naruto and Neji were listening to Minato as he issued their next mission.

"Naruto, Neji, I'm issuing to the both of you an A ranked mission starting immediately. Kakashi's Genin team was sent to Wave Country for a simple escort mission, however he ended up facing A ranked missing-nins, thus requesting for reinforcements. Time is of the essence here, since he doesn't know where or when the enemy will strike next, you two are to meet him at this coordinates and aid him and his team in completing the mission, any questions?" – Asked Minato, receiving a no in response as Neji picked the mission specs, before both him and Naruto disappeared via elemental shunshin.

Once outside the office, Naruto and Neji smiled at each other, since they both knew going on a mission together was rare.

"Finally, a joint mission huh Neji. It seems the old man is having trouble once more, we need to hurry up to Wave Country" – Said Naruto to which Neji smiled and nodded his head, concurring with Naruto's assessment.

"Let's see how well you improved since last time around" – Stated Neji, before the Chuunins charged towards Wave Country.

* * *

**AN**: Well, that's it for today. The story is finally progressing towards the canon...however it won't at the same time. Now that both Naruto is stronger and that Minato is alive as the Yondaime Hokage, what sort of twists will happen with the actual timeline? Will Suna be the one who joins Orochimaru in attacking Konoha? What if another village joins him as well? Will the Sandaime Hokage be the one who faces against Orochimaru?

Stay tuned for the next chapter as you'll witness a different wave country arc

See ya.


	20. Change of Heart

**

* * *

****Chapter 20 – Change of heart**

**Beta: Dreetje**

* * *

After sending reinforcement to Wave Country, Minato now found himself standing in front of fourteen highly influential individuals, each representing Konoha's shinobi clans. Most of those present in the dark meeting room, grew up with Minato, but the blond admitted only befriending a hand few of them in the past. Shikaku Nara, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Chouza and Hyuuga Hiashi were among those friendly to the hokage.

Others, though, Minato became more acquainted after his promotion to village leader, like Inuzuka Tsume and Uchiha Itachi who was nominated clan heir after the death of his father Fugaku. The rest of the clan heads were strangers to the blond hokage, but he could with all honesty, say that none of them have anything against him. However, there was one man amongst those presents that unnerved Minato to his very core and was considered by the Sandaime Hokage, a threat. Danzou gained a seat at the council because of political demands, since he didn't belong to any of the clans in Konoha. He was, though, rival with Sarutobi Hiruzen for the Sandaime Hokage's position and a very powerful shinobi, even if his methods of doing things is highly controversial.

Clearing his throat and also calling the attention of the clan heads, Minato began to explain the reason for the meeting to happen.

"Greetings everyone, first of all, I would like to appreciate everyone's presence and apologize for holding all of you here when you all could be at home spending some time with your families" - Said Minato with a smile on his face as he saw everyone showing signs of dismissing the apologies, before he began the introduction. "Every since the foundation of Otogakure, Konoha has been monitoring Orochimaru's footsteps with caution and with six months of close surveillance, we discovered that he came in contact with all the other kages from the four hidden villages, for reasons we can only speculate. However, Orochimaru also kept close contact with a man called Takagashi Hito, who was one of the Fire Lord's most trusted advisors. Last week, I sent Kurenai's genin team and chunnin ninja Namikaze Naruto to the capital city in order to investigate whatever information Hito possesses about our village and the possibility of these information be handed to Orochimaru" - Said Minato, waiting for the information to sink in, before a few began to converse quietly, demonstrating a feeling of repulsion to the traitor.

"The mission report was very disturbing, as Namikaze Naruto managed to retrieve inside the man's house, documentation regarding our entire defensive system in case of an invasion and information about our guard route missions until next year" - Said Minato, dropping the bomb as everyone demonstrated their shocked state. "As you can see, ladies and gentleman, we have a situation that must be dealt with immediately, but first I now ask that you place your hands on the seal in front of you" - Asked Hokage, until one of the clan heads asked what for.

"This seal acts as a pact of confidentiality, meaning that whatever we decide here today, will be considered an S-class secret and as such, if one of you share any of this meeting's contents with anyone else, I'll be informed immediately and take action. Please note that this is not an act of mistrust, but rather necessary precautions in order to better prepare ourselves in case the snake sannin ever decides to invade Konoha" - Explained Minato, earning nods from those present, who accepted the explanation and placed their hands on the seal in front of them.

All but one, though, was reluctant to do so, but Danzou didn't betray his thoughts and placed his hand on the seals. The Sandaime frowned upon seeing Konoha's War Hawk and wondered what the man was thinking. Seeing that everyone placed their hands on the seal, the hokage nodded and began a series of hand seals, before slamming his right hand on a bigger seal, before all the seals started glowing. Within seconds, the seal was engraved in each of the people's hand, before disappearing from view.

"Now that's done, I'll reveal the topic of discussion of this meeting. As it stands, our defensive system must be changed, since we are presuming that Orochimaru already possesses the current one. By changing it, the enemy's plan will backfire and we can emerge victorious, now as it stands, our defensive system is the following..." - Said Minato as he began explaining it to those present.

* * *

**===With Naruto and Neji===**

After traveling a bit, Neji's byakugan found traces of chakra usage and issued a quick stop, which received a nod from Naruto as the two landed in front of what appeared to be an empty lagoon covered by deep vegetation.

"I sense heavy concentration of suiton level chakra within the area, whoever fought here must be jounin level at least" - Said Neji as he began to scan the area for any signs of the number of presences.

"In Kakashi's message, he encountered one of Seven Swordsmen called Momochi Zabuza, so this may be the place of the confrontation" - Concluded Naruto, earning a nod from Neji as this was the most possible conclusion. For further scanning, Neji activated what appeared to be a second stage of the byakugan and saw traces of a third chakra close to a tree on the left. The Hyuuga prodigy managed to reach a state with his byakugan that he can track the smallest trace of chakra usage; however this third chakra was different from the regular ones he felt at the lake.

"I sense a third chakra Naruto, close to the trees on the left. However, I can't figure out this person's chakra. I can fell both wind and water chakra usage, but what's strange is that it was used at the same time" - Said Neji, while thinking about it.

"A bloodline, then?" - Asked Naruto, earning a nod from Neji as he was focusing his byakugan. Afterwards, he went close to where he felt and landed his hand on the tree long, before narrowing his eyebrows. "Naruto come here for a second" - Shouted Neji while on top of the tree, before Naruto landed next to him.

"Place your hands on this side of the tree and tell me what you feel" - Asked Neji, before Naruto nodded and did exactly what he was told. Upon touching, Naruto could feel how cold it was to the touch and looked at Neji for confirmation.

"I remembered at the academy that the Shodaime Hokage managed to use mokuton (wood element) by merging both doton and suiton chakra. Maybe, it's the same ability, except that this one merged wind and water chakra, what's the possible outcome of said union?" - Asked Naruto, after seeing Neji begins to explain.

"Wind could be used to drop the temperature of water and condensate to become ice. But I'm unaware of any clan being able to manipulate ice, however we must arrive and meet Kakashi today, let's speed things up" - Said Neji, earning a nod from Naruto as they focused chakra to their feet and continued their travel towards Wave Country.

After a while, the two stopped in front of what appeared to be the sea and frowned at the heavy mist obscuring their view. Neji focused his byakugan and managed to see beyond the mist.

"Naruto, let's proceed with caution. We'll be walking towards Wave Country, please follow me" - Said Neji as he stepped on top of the water and began his track towards the island in front of him. In moments, Naruto and Neji were stunned at the sight of the huge bridge in front of him and remembered their first mission to gather the material for it.

"I can see Tazuna was busy the last couple of years, this is one hell of a bridge" - Said Naruto, earning a nod from Neji as they began to see dry land approaching. Instantly, they hid behind a couple of trees as they saw a group of bandits passing by as in guarding the area. After the guards left, Naruto and Neji quickly jumped through the rooftops and fell inside a hidden alley as they used henges to disguise their presences and go look for Tazuna's place.

As they walked, though, both flinched at the state of poverty that fell on the land. Children were seen starving to death and all doors were closed. Since they knew from their last mission where the drunk old man lived, it wasn't hard for them to find the house even if the heavy mist obscured their view. As Naruto knocked, they already dispelled the henges so as to be easily recognized by whoever answers the door. Suddenly, the door opened and Tazuna himself was behind it, before greeting both Naruto and Neji.

"Naruto-san, Neji-san, I'm glad to see you two. So you must be the ones Kakashi-san said would come. Please come in, we're having dinner right now" - Said Tazuna as he let Naruto and Neji inside.

As they walked inside, they saw Tsunami in the kitchen and someone wearing standard jounin attire sleeping on the couch with a Icha Icha book covering his face, however Naruto recognized the silver hair instantly and smiled upon seeing his nii-san lazying off. He didn't want to wake him up, so Tazuna told them to relax at his house, apologizing for the lack of room for them to sleep, before Naruto dismissed it, saying that they could sleep in the living room. Sometime later, Kakashi's one visible eye opened a bit and adjusted to the room light. His Jounin senses immediately alerted him to two new presences inside the house, but he relaxed upon knowing that one of them was Naruto. After getting up, he kept the book inside his kunai holster and looked to the living room to see that Naruto and Neji were talking amongst themselves.

"I'm surprised you two came here so fast, I wasn't expecting your arrival until tomorrow" - Said Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama's orders, your message perturbed him and he wanted us her as soon as possible in case Zabuza or someone stronger appears" - Explained Neji, earning a nod from the silver haired Jounin, before he saw Naruto looking at him with a quizzical expression.

"What's it Naruto?" - Asked Kakashi.

"Kakashi-nisan, upon coming here, we stopped at the place where you and Zabuza engaged. Neji managed to find a third chakra presence, hidden. His chakra, though, according to Neji, was like a mixture between Water and Wind. We believe it's a kekkai genkai for ice manipulation. Did you see anything?" - Asked Naruto, before Kakashi nodded.

"I don't know about the ice manipulation, but a fake hunter-nin managed to save Zabuza in the end. If this is true, though, this mission will be tougher than I thought. As it stands, we have four enemies to fight. Momochi Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, the fake hunter-nin and Kirigakure's Demon Brothers. I don't know if Gatou has other missing-ninjas under his paycheck" - Explained Kakashi, earning a nod from both Neji and Naruto.

"So where are the Genin right now? I'd imagine they would be in here as well" - Asked Naruto, earning Kakashi's attention.

"They are training in a forest a couple of miles away from here. I placed two exercises for them to cover, which was tree walking and water walking. Their control is pretty decent by now, but I'm worried for their chakra reserves against our enemies. Haruno Sakura is the worst of them all, so I placed her exclusively for the tree walking exercise. By going up and down multiple times, she will raise both her stamina and chakra. Uchiha Sasuke and Sai are on the same level, where chakra is concerned, so chakra control is their top priority" - Explained Kakashi as he joined the two at the table.

"Are you considering placing them to fight the Demon Brothers, Kakashi-san? From what I've concluded so far, Zabuza is on the same level as you are, so you would be facing him once more. The hunter-nin is the second concern so Naruto and I would fight him. That would leave the Demon Brothers against those of the Genins, when one of them would be protecting Tazuna" - Explained Neji, earning an amused look from Kakashi since he was planning the exact same thing, but Naruto found a loophole and explained why.

"Placing genins against the Demon Brothers is a major risk, Kakashi-Nissan. The Demon Brothers are known for their nearly perfect synchronization. Plus, it's evident that if you weren't near to save them, the Demon Brothers would've killed everyone including the client. I know the numbers are even, but we can't forget that the enemy group is far more skilled than us. They have a Jounin, two chunins and a ninja who possess the ability of manipulating ice. We have one jounin, two chunnins and two genins" - Explained Naruto, earning a nod from both Neji and Kakashi.

"You're right Naruto; unfortunately, there isn't much space for us to work on. You said it yourself; the fake hunter-nin can manipulate ice, so it's better to presume he's Jounin level. It would be best to place you two against him. Well, tell me your idea so we can figure something out" - Said Kakashi to which Naruto nodded and explained his theory.

"Instead of forming doubles, we can fight altogether against both the Demon Brothers and the fake hunter-nin. This way, we can both engage the hunter-nin and become a backup for the Genins against the Demon Brothers" - Advised Naruto, before seeing both Kakashi and Neji fall into thinking positions, but Naruto didn't stop. "This way, the Genins are better protected if the Demon Brothers overcome them".

"I guess this is the best course of action we have. However, this will place a greater load of responsibility to you guys to handle together. Protecting someone and fighting at the same time requires a lot of multi-tasking and possibility of tough choices to make" - Regarded Kakashi, earning a nod from both Chuunin, before Neji smiled, which to Kakashi, was strange to see a Hyuuga like this.

"Naruto and I were able to take care of much more Kakashi-san, you can trust your Genins to our care" - Assured Neji.

"Well, then, because of the fog, the bridge construction was suspended, meaning that he won't leave his house. We can go to where the Genins are training, let's go" - Said Kakashi, earning nods from Neji and Naruto, before they left the house towards the woods.

It didn't take too long and the group was already in the forest. Since being near the ocean, the trees had enough energy to grow tall and strong, hence why the trees here were two times bigger than those near Konoha.

As they walked, the sound of Kunai slicing something could be heard, before Kakashi explained that the genins were using the weapon to mark their progress on the trees. Suddenly, they walked into a clearing and saw three trees with marks all over. Kakashi reasoned that Sakura had the best control so her marks were more spaced out, while Sasuke and Sai's marks were closer to the other. Nevertheless, it appeared that all three of them managed to walk up the entire tree, so Kakashi guessed it was already time for water walking. "Genins, come, our reinforcements have arrived" - Shouted Kakashi, before seeing three heads emerging from behind the trees and appear in front of Kakashi.

"This is Hyuuga Neji and Namikaze Naruto and they will aid us in our fight against Zabuza" - Introduced Kakashi, until he saw that Sasuke was focused entirely on Naruto, who in turn was smirking. The Uchiha, then, turned to his sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'll go to the lake now and train the second exercise" - Said Sasuke, before giving his back to the group and started walking. Sakura immediately followed while screaming his name, thus leaving the rest of the group looking at the two, before Kakashi asked to Naruto about what happened. Kakashi found it strange when Naruto just laughed.

"He is just mad at me because I didn't let him use the Sharingan to copy my techniques" - Explained Naruto with a smile on his face, earning a snort from both Kakashi and Neji who in turn dismissed, before Kakashi addressed to his third Genin to join his teammates for the water walking exercise, to which he nodded and ran to the lake. After they were gone, Kakashi turned to look at the two, who were looking at the same direction. _So, they also figured out, interesting. _

Instantly, the shadow vanished and Kakashi sighed, seeing that he couldn't capture him because his chakra wasn't a hundred percent.

"It was the hunter-nin from before, Kakashi-san. I was able to see him with my byakugan. It was a good thing we didn't show our techniques, but now we'll have to be wary of his presence" - Said Neji, before Naruto stepped in.

"He will relay to Zabuza the information that we're here, though. How long do you think it will take for the next attack?" - Asked Naruto, to which Kakashi began to think.

"Considered the method that the hunter-nin used to help Zabuza, I'd believe he would need close to a week to recover from it. It's enough time to teach the Genins a useful jutsu and practice their Taijutsu; I'll be going to the lake to aid them in the best way possible and speed things up" - Said Kakashi as he went to the lake leaving the Chuunin alone.

"It would be wise for us to find some are to improve for this fight, Naruto. Do you have anything on your list to practice?" - Asked Neji, though he wasn't surprised when Naruto smiled at him and nodded, before extending his arms for Neji to watch.

Out of nowhere, blue energy began to gather on top of Naruto's hand until the boy condensed the spinning energy like a ball shape, earning gasps from Neji as in front of him, was the Yondaime's Rasengan. However, after a few seconds, the ball dissipated, much to Naruto's discomfort.

"I've been training the Rasengan in secret, for a while. I've managed to condense the energy, but I still don't have the needed control do keep the ball steady" – Said Naruto, before turning to Neji and asked what was he up to. Neji for his turn had the decency to smile.

"I for instance have been training in adapting Doton Ninjutsu to the Hyuuga style of fighting. For instance, I'm developing a stronger defensive technique which I called it **Doton Doryuu Kaiten **(Earth Release: Earth Style Heavenly Spin Jutsu). The theory revolves around me creating a double layer Kaiten, with the regular one being first and then a outer earth spin, blocking entirely everything that comes against it. After I manages this, I'll move on to offensive attacks" – Explained Neji, before seeing Naruto smile.

"I can see you're giving some thought about your creativity, the defensive technique, while still in theory, sounds like a truly impenetrable defense, but by placing an outer earth ring outside the normal chakra would blind you, therefore making it difficult to anticipate an attack" – Said Naruto to which Neji nodded and explained that his second level of byakugan can spot traces of chakra hence why Neji would know where the opponent was or where he was heading to.

* * *

**===In Konoha===**

Approximately five hours passed since the beginning of the reunion and Minato believed Konoha was making good progress. Their target was to create a new defensive system and also reprogram the guarding missions so that Orochimaru meets an unexpected surprise. The last was easy, Minato thought, however the first wasn't. Konoha's defensive system has been used since the First Great Ninja War and since then, no one ever managed to invade Konoha. The problem was that until now, the enemy was prepared for it and even worse, the very enemy was one of the Sannin. Minato was relieved that no one protested to the reason of the meeting, meaning that they were aware of the threat that is Orochimaru.

Also, the Yondaime heard some interesting ideas from his friend Shikaku and he saw that the Sandaime approved of it. Shikaku's plan involved the development of a new alarm seal that would cover a few miles radius around the village in order to alert Konoha. Following the alert would be evacuation of the civilians and children by the Genins and some low level Chuunin. With all the population carefully hidden, the battle plan could go to fruition. The only problem left for decision was the war plan, which would be changed as well, since the old one was linked with the village's defensive system, which was retreat, thus giving the enemy a false sense of victory, before attacking when they become over-confident. Now, though, the village will be prepared before hand, which according to Minato, would save many lives.

* * *

**===With Yuugao===**

Once arriving at the apartment, Yuugao was a wreck. Her career was demanding a lot of her, now that her team captain was reassigned as Jounin-sensei for a Genin team. And, even though, Yamato became the captain, she was now second in command, which became a major responsibility. Also, because of the sudden rumors of a future invasion, Anbu were in charge of scouting around the village for enemies. The woman just wanted to get to her comfy bed and sleep for the better part of five hours. After having a warm shower, she dressed in her sleeping clothes and went to bed. She closed her eyes and immediately, the image of her lover appeared in her mind, which forced a smile on her part. On occasions, they would schedule to sleep together, Naruto enjoyed feeling her head on his chest and Yuugao loved to sleep on top of his chest. She joked that Naruto's chest was better than any pillow found in Konoha.

She heard of his mission towards Wave Country and sighed in dismay since the mission would take close to a week at least because of the distance between both countries. Once again, the job got in the way of things, she reasoned. When Naruto was available, her Anbu duties didn't allow them to spend time together and when she was available, Naruto was out on a mission. It frustrated her to no end.

Before Naruto, she didn't need to worry about these things. It was always the next mission. However, now Yuugao felt for the first time, that her job as an Anbu was getting in the way of her life and she was in doubt. Frowning her eyes as in forcing these thoughts out of her head, she let fatigue possess her body and in minutes, she was already asleep. However, while her conscious mind stopped thinking about Naruto, her unconscious didn't as the dream suddenly began.

Yuugao didn't think of herself as a pervert, but everyone has needs in life. So, the dream was based on what she wanted to do in case Naruto was in Konoha. They were on his bed making out madly. Yuugao was wearing a sexy black lingerie with straps that linked her panties with her pantyhose. Naruto was only wearing his boxers.

Suddenly, Naruto's hands began to massage her back softly while stopping the kissing and begin to suck her neck, earning a moan in pleasure from Yuugao. Her hands were also busy, rubbing his chest and arms, while feeling her body temperature rising. Yuugao carved for Naruto to be on top of her so badly, but she wanted to enjoy the moment. Slowly, her hands went south and entered Naruto's boxers, before massaging Naruto's member, and at the same time, whispering closely to his ear about her intentions.

Naruto didn't submit and began to massage one of Yuugao's breasts while sucking the other, catching Yuugao by surprise, before she moaned once more. She loved it when Naruto acts on pure instinct and she, then, began to stroke his member harder for a counter-offense, before seeing Naruto bend over because of the sudden pleasure. He, then, hugged her fiercely, before landing a passionate kiss, which Yuugao gladly returned without question. However, Yuugao was taken aback when Naruto's hand left her chest and went south as well, before he began to pleasure her.

This she didn't expect but it was welcomed as Yuugao was feeling Naruto's finger slowly massaging her inner temple. Now, Yuugao was slowly but surely controlling her breaths from the immense pleasure Naruto was giving her, while at the same time, she increased the speed of her massages, which made Naruto demonstrate his enjoyment as well.

This went on for a while, before Naruto approached to her ear and whispered the following words "What you want me to do to you?". They were a wide variety of answers she had at the tip of her tongue, but all of them meant only one thing.

"I want you inside, Naruto-kun. I want to feel you inside" - Said Yuugao with short breaths, since Naruto never stopped teasing her with his fingers. Within seconds, Yuugao lied down facing her lover as he positioned his body on top of her, while at the same time, positioning his member inside her. Upon feeling the first thrust, Yuugao let that long awaited moan that could've sent nearly any men to the verge of madness, which in turn aroused Naruto as he slowly increased the speed. There was no need of adjustment of any kind and also no pain present, only pure and utter pleasure as Naruto's member filled every inch of Yuugao's inner walls.

"I missed this so much Naruto-kun, you've no idea" - Said Yuugao as Naruto trusted inside once more, before holding his position while landing a kiss on Yuugao, making her go crazy with excitement. By loosening his pelvis, Naruto continued with the motion while never stopping the kiss, a move that the girl always loved.

Naruto, then, broke the kiss and smiled as he saw Yuugao contorting her face because of the pleasure. He, then, began whispering the usual dirty talk in order to spike the act, but keeping it moderate, so as to not lose the respect.

"I missed it as well Yuugao-chan, when I look at you like this, I cannot control myself" - Whispered Naruto as he saw the girl smiling in ecstasy from the love making.

After a few minutes, the body temperature increased severely and by now, both lost every single control of their own and focused only on pleasuring the other more. Naruto would increase both the speed and force of the incisions while Yuugao used her inner muscles to caress Naruto's member inside her. And as the temperature rose, so did their hormones and their peak was coming soon.

Soon, Naruto was panting from feeling the powerful control of the hormones and couldn't control himself any longer.

"Oh my god, this is so good. Yuugao-chan, I can't hold on any longer" - Said Naruto on the verge of exploding inside her.

"Don't hold yourself my love, please cum inside me, I want to feel everything" - Moaned Yuugao, giving permission for Naruto to explode inside of her. The feeling was also becoming unbearable for Yuugao to handle as he inner walls began to contort like crazy.

"Yes, Naruto-kun Oh sweet Kami, I'm cumming as well. This is so good" - Shouted Yuugao.

Afterwards, both just closed their eyes after the love making, only enjoying the closeness. However, a knock on the door was soon heard, alerting Yuugao as she suddenly woke up from her dream because of the sudden noise. She was all wet probably as a result from the dream, well wonderful dream, she concluded. However, what stunned her most was that the first rays of sunlight was just beginning to invade her room, which meant that her dream lasted a long time. As she got up from her bed, she was caressing her body while remembering the images her subconscious mind displayed throughout the night. Wearing a light blue kimono, she opened her door and saw a scroll right in front of her apartment. After picking it up, she closed the door and went to the kitchen to fix some coffee while she read the scroll.

* * *

_Neko-san, _

_We have a scouting mission Northeast from Konoha. Present at headquarters in an hour._

_Taichou_

* * *

No sooner had she burned the scroll, her coffee was ready. Half an hour was enough for her to read the morning paper and get ready for her assignment, since she lived close to one of the hidden entrances of the Anbu Headquarters.

Passing quickly through the contents of today's newspaper, Yuugao was bored at the immense repercussion that occurs after a single mishap from the Daimyou's daughter, who in turn, only tripped on her dress in the middle of a dance with the son of a high lord from Lightning Country. After leaving the paper on her kitchen table, she went to take a quick shower in order to clean the sweat from her body, because of the naughty dream she had about Naruto. After undressing, she reached her hand downstairs and was amazed that she was wet down there. She didn't know if while sleeping, she unconsciously began to pleasure herself. In moments, she placed her neko mask and went to work.

* * *

**===A week later===**

Slowly opening his eyes to adjust the sunlight, he heard noise coming from the kitchen, so he assumed it was Tsunami but apart from that, no noise was heard whatsoever. He looked around and noticed Neji still sleeping on the sofa. Getting off his so called bed, which in actuality, consisted of sheets sprayed over the hard floor, he went to the kitchen in order to greet the hard working mother.

"Morning Naruto-san, you woke up early" - Said Tsunami as she was cleaning the dishes from last night.

"I guess the sun woke me up, you could say. I went to sleep early because I overexcerted myself in my training" - Said Naruto as he picked up the coffee jar and fixed himself some, before dragging the chair backwards. Upon sitting, he saw Tsunami extending a cup, before he nodded and filled her cup. Appreciating it, she took a seat starting a conversation with the blond.

"So Naruto-san, why do you train so hard? I mean, what drives you to always seek improvement?" - Asked Tsunami as she took a slight zip of the hot coffee. Naruto smiled at the sudden interest.

"Well, they are two reasons for why I train constantly. One, is the obvious fact that without it, we are pretty much doomed out there" - Said Naruto to which Tsunami giggled - "and the other is, this being a more personal reason, which is to be better able to protect those I care about. I train hard so that when the time comes, I'm better able to save the ones precious to me" - Explained Naruto, as he took a zip of his coffee, while seeing Tsunami's reaction as his explanation.

"Interesting...I've never met a shinobi before, so I'm very curious about your lifestyle. What more can you tell me about it?" - Asked Tsunami, before seeing Naruto thinking for a while.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, I guess. We train and do missions, sure but once we return, there isn't much difference to what a civilian would do. Going out on bars, restaurants; take a swim at the lake; have a walk on the park. I, for instance, enjoy full moon gazing. Going through the bottom of it, we are also humans, even if sometimes people doubt that" - Smiled Naruto, after seeing Tsunami's reaction from fear that Naruto got the wrong idea. "I'm just kidding Tsunami-san. No worries, there" - Said Naruto to which Tsunami nodded.

"So, would you like some bagels, just out of the oven?" - Said Tsunami as she got up from the table, before Naruto said yes. Within minutes, the rest of the house habitants awoke and gathered at the table for what would presumably the last breakfast before the fight. A full week already passed since Zabuza and Kakashi's battle, so the entire team would accompany Tazuna to the bridge.

After everyone was ready to depart, Tsunami wished her father good luck on the bridge and for the shinobi as well. Since the week was now over, Zabuza could come out any time. So, in order to prevent the client from being attacked, Kakashi issued a full squad protection mission.

However, before issuing everyone to leave, Kakashi turned to Tazuna for a more pressing manner.

"Tazuna-san, it would be wise to consider the possibility of your family being targeted as well. Do you know of a place where Tsunami-san and little Inari can hide from Gatou's thugs?" - Asked Kakashi, which shocked Tazuna first, but he frowned and then looked at her daughter. The bridge may be important to the land's survival, but the old man had a family to look out for.

"Honey, grab your stuff, call Inari, we're going to somewhere safe, I can't leave you here unprotected" - Said Tazuna, earning a nod in assurance from her daughter, before she yelled for Inari come out and meet them in the living room. "Where are we going Tou-san?" - Asked Tsunami.

"Before Wave Country existed, this land served as a port for Water Country's caravans. As such, there is an old lighthouse a few miles away from here. We can go there before we reach the bridge" - Explained Tazuna, earning a nod from Tsunami as Inari arrived.

It didn't take too long for the group to arrive at the old lighthouse and the group dropped Tsunami and Inari inside a hidden room with two beds and a bathroom to use. As Tazuna was instructing his daughter, Naruto summoned a Kage Bunshin, before imprinting a seal near the door. He made some hand signs and then slammed his hand on the seal, activating it. He, then, sealed the Kage Bunshin inside the scroll and, then, turned to see that Kakashi was watching him.

"A little insurance of mine if they ever find this place" - Smiled Naruto, which Kakashi nodded and then turned to the others. Now that everything was done, the group now headed for the bridge. Little did they know, though, what they would find there.

* * *

**===At the Bridge===**

As soon as the group stepped on the bridge, the heavy mist appeared once more, blinding their path, thus setting them on edge while walking. The Genins formed a circle around the client and Neji was scouting with his byakugan for presences. So far, the mist managed to overcome the byakugan and Neji frowned in dismay at not being able to track down the enemy.

Suddenly, upon reaching the center of the bridge, everyone frowned at the vision before them. Bodies laid on the floor and while not covered in blood, there were no signs that they were unconscious or dead. Either way, it was clear at least for the ninjas, that the battle would start any time soon. Out of the blue, a voice emerged from within the heavy fog which sent shivers down Tazuna and Sakura's throat.

"Long time no see Kakashi, It appears that you brought more friends to be killed" - Said Zabuza, from within the mist, but no one could see a damn thing, except for Neji, but he could only get a fake outline of the enemy's position. Kakashi smiled and turned for Naruto which was next to him, just waiting for the signal.

"Naruto, would you please do the honor?" - Asked Kakashi, earning a nod from Naruto as he began a set of hand seals, before whispering to the winds. **Fuuton Daitoppa no Jutsu **(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu).

Afterwards, a huge gust of wind blew the entire bridge and dissipating the heavy fog, until four people could be seen on edge on the other side. Kakashi could see Zabuza frowning in dismay and he couldn't help but snort upon seeing such a face coming from the Demon of the Mist. Naruto, for his turn, could hear Sasuke snort from his back, but he knew that the little brat just wanted to see the technique with his Sharingan to copy it.

"So Kakashi, it seems you have a wind user amongst you. Now the battle proves to be more entertaining, let's see if your group emerges victorious against mine" - Said Zabuza, until he charged Kakashi head on with his Zanbatou prepared to slice the Jounin to pieces. Seeing the imminent attack, Kakashi shouted for everyone to scatter and the Genins to move Tazuna out of the way, before choosing their opponents.

Quickly acknowledging the order, the Genin all grabbed Tazuna and jumped backwards, before Sasuke and Sai left Sakura to take care of him, while Naruto, Neji and Kakashi each joined their respective opponents. Within seconds, the Genins stood in front of the Demon Brothers, locking eyes with them for a moment. Immediately, Sai grabbed one blank scroll and drew a couple of lions, before focusing some chakra for his technique called **Ninpou Choujuu Giga (**Ninja arts: Super Beast Imitation Drawing Jutsu**). **The lions attacked the Demon Brothers, but with no avail since the animals met the enemy's poisoned claws. Sasuke, then, began his own set of hand seals, before whispering **Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu **(Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu).

Seeing the incoming fireball and preferring to save chakra, the brothers just evaded the technique, before charging against the Genins. Sai, seeing the imminent conflict, grabbed his sword while Sasuke grabbed two kunais in each hand. All that could be heard was metal clashing against metal as the opponents reached a stalemate. The Demon Brothers were more experienced, but with Sasuke's Sharingan, he was able to cope with them. Sai was also doing well, but while Sai and Sasuke fought well together, the Demon Brothers fought as one individual, so when one managed to escape from Sai's grasp, two went against Sasuke who in turn saw the approach and frowned in dismay.

The chain was approaching Sasuke, but the Uchiha was saved by Naruto who in turn used his trench knifes is key positions so that the chain wouldn't envelop his knives. Sasuke was so scared, he couldn't even move. With a sudden move with his trench knives and, in secret, the use of wind chakra, Naruto sliced the chain in half, before landing two kicks on each of the brothers, thus sending them flying away from Sasuke.

Looking back, Naruto saw the frightened look on Sasuke's face, so he had to do something.

"Wake up Sasuke, don't chicken out of this fight" - Said Naruto, before seeing the fire returning to the Uchiha' eyes, who in turn shouted back for him to shove it up his ass, earning a smile from Naruto, before he heard Neji shouting at him, as he was using his kaiten to parry the hunter-nin's senbons. "Naruto, a little help would be nice here".

Naruto nodded and vanished, before attacking the hunter-nin who in turn threw a couple of senbons at him. Tearing them apart with his trench knives, Naruto threw the knives spinning in front of him, as he began a new series of hand seals, before whispering **Raiton Kusari Raikou **(Lightning Release: Storm Chain Jutsu).

The hunter-nin was waiting for something to happen, but he didn't notice the sky getting darker, until it was too late. It was only his intuition that helped evade the first bolt of lightning that landed inches from his feet. The next ones, he managed with his speed alone, but at least it gave Neji some space to think of an attack of his own. Focusing chakra on his palm, Neji suddenly propelled his arm forward, before throwing a wave of chakra straight at the hunternin, who couldn't avoid it because he was dodging the bolts that came out of the sky, as he was sent flying.

This caused Zabuza to frown in dismay at the trouble those two were causing to Haku, but he woke up to see that Kakashi was right beside him with a attack of his own, but Zabuza parried with his sword, before both did a back flip and stood watching each other.

"That blond is familiar, though I can't place where I've seen him. I'd imagine him being a wind user, but not lightning as well" - Said Zabuza, earning a snort from Kakashi, who wanted to tell Naruto's fame right out of the blue. However, he choose to explain later.

"Won't you help your comrade, he is severely outnumbered" - Said Kakashi as he engaged in a Taijutsu match against Zabuza, who, then, tried to slice Kakashi with his sword only for Kakashi to dissolve into water and appear some distance away.

"Mind your own team, not my own Sharingan no Kakashi. Haku won't be beaten so easily. He has skills that none of you know of" - Said Zabuza, before Kakashi frowned.

"The ability of using Hyoton is useless against Raiton" - Said Kakashi, before seeing Zabuza's shocked face, upon hearing Kakashi's knowledge of Haku's abilities, but Kakashi continued. "Ice is made of water, and water conducts electricity, you know what happens when the techniques confront each other. Whatever ice technique attempted will be disrupted by any lightning technique. Now I believe this is not the best time for a conversation" - Said Kakashi as he began a set of hand seals, before whispering **Katon Karyuu Endan **(Fire Release: Fire Dragon Missile Jutsu). He, then, began exhaling a strong but thin layer of white fire as it charged Zabuza with extreme force, thus being forced to defend by using the water wall technique.

While the battle was happening, both Sakura and Tazuna were looking at what appeared to be a war zone. Sakura was with a kunai on her hand, but her instincts wanted to drop the kunai and just run away from there as fast as possible, however by doing so, she would be weak in the eyes of the one she wanted to be with, and as such she remained still, but she couldn't control her body, which began trembling, much to her dismay.

"I can see that you're just as scared as I am, Sakura" - Said Tazuna, earning Sakura's attention.

"We are fresh out of the academy Genins; this is something that only Chuunin or higher can fight. Even Sasuke-kun and Sai can't handle it, since Naruto-sempai had to save Sasuke. I fear for them and for myself" - Said Sakura, earning a nod from Tazuna.

"The least we can do now is have faith that they will succeed" - Concluded Tazuna, as he saw the blond's fight and managed to see ice platforms begin to surround both him and Neji, before hearing laughter coming from Zabuza, as he sent Kakashi flying a kick on his chest.

"Those two are finished, Kakashi. No one escaped this technique out alive" - Said Zabuza to which Kakashi frowned and looked at the dangerous technique.

Inside the ice dome, Naruto and Neji were looking at the ice mirrors and the enemy's image being reflected through it. Suddenly, a wide number of senbons charged against them, before being stooped by Neji's Kaiten and Naruto's **Fuuton Gufuukiri **(Wind Release: Hurricane Cutter Jutsu).

"This is bad Naruto; I cannot see outside of here, my byakugan here is useless. We cannot protect those two while being here" - Said Neji, earning a nod from Naruto as his mind processed in search for an alternative, before an idea suddenly clicked.

"Neji, you can escape by using that earth jutsu. I will deal with this guy" - Said Naruto, before Neji looked at him with worry for he was trying to see what his friend was thinking about. However, before he could voice his acknowledgement, the hunter-nin's voice echoed.

"No one ever escaped from here, you can't leave". - Said the Hunter-nin, before he saw Neji smiled and then turned to Naruto.

"Don't you dare die in here, Naruto or I will get you from the dead and beat the shit out of you" - Stated Neji, earning laugher from Naruto, who decided to joke about the situation in hand.

"Way too melodramatic Neji, I'll be fine don't worry" - Said Naruto, while never dropping the smile. The Hyuuga then began to sink below the bridge and escape the dome, before appearing outside of the ice mirrors with enough time to see that the demon brothers were just about to attack the Genins, so he fallen into his standard position, before saying out loud for the brothers to hear.

"You are both on my field of divination" - Said Neji as the Demon Brothers looked at him for one second, before Neji charged at them with speeds that would match a Jounin and began closing all of their tenketsus instantly.

* * *

**===With Naruto and Haku===**

After parrying another set of senbons, Naruto turned to face the hunter-nin in front of him.

"It was very admirable of you, risking your life to save your friend. It's a shame, though, that you'll die here" - Said Haku, but Naruto snorted.

"I can tell that you don't wish to kill me, hunter-nin. You do possess the skills to be an assassin, but you don't possess the heart to do so. I can hear regret in your voice" - Stated Naruto, before silence reined the two. The hunter-nin, for instance, looked at the blond.

"What I feel or think is irrelevant. I serve Zabuza-sama's command, I'm a nothing but a tool" - Said Haku.

"It's sad to know that you think this way. Although a shinobi lives to serve the Kage, there are boundaries to be accounted for. Without it, we go from humans with intuition to robots with a program. You say you are Zabuza's tool, but I can say for sure that should he choose to abandon you, you wouldn't like it, am I right?" - Asked Naruto, though by the silence, he knew he hit the spot, so he continued. "If you saw Zabuza suffering, you'd cling to your heart in hopes for the pain to subside. Without him, you lose your purpose in life, right?" - Concluded Naruto, but once again silence.

Haku was getting angry but he knew since he began his training than an emotional tool is a weak tool, so he pushed this new feeling away and gathered all the senbons he had for one last attack.

"You're right, I don't like to kill, but Zabuza-sama's orders are to kill you, so prepare yourself" - Said Haku, before seeing Naruto sigh in dismay.

"Just as this is your duty, I have one of my own" - Said Naruto, as he summoned four Kage Bunshins which positioned themselves like a square with the real Naruto on the center, as all five of them began the same hand seals.

* * *

**===Outside the mirrors===**

Kakashi and Zabuza were watching the whole thing and Zabuza snorted upon seeing the Demon Brothers's defeat.

"It seems that I'm in a disadvantage Kakashi. Nevertheless, that blond will surely perish by Haku's hands" - Smiled Zabuza, but stopped once he saw Kakashi drop his guard for a while to address him.

"There is something about Naruto that you're unaware of, Zabuza. For instance, are you familiar with a mention from the bingo book called **Konoha no Kazeryuu**?" - Asked Kakashi, before smirking at the sudden frightened look Zabuza displayed, before turning abruptly to the ice mirrors. It looked normal from a distance, but if one would look closely, each one of them was breaking. Suddenly, all of the mirrors shattered as four huge hurricanes appeared dancing around one bigger one in the center.

_**Fuuton Arashi no Mae **_(Wind Release: Tempest Dance Jutsu)

The sight itself earned gasps from those present and everyone had to use chakra to stick their feet to the ground from fear of being somersaulted to the air. The force of the wind was so strong that Zabuza was covering his eyes. However, he saw someone flying straight at him and realized with horror that it was Haku. After a couple of seconds, the hurricanes subsided and the Kage Bunshin were dispelled because of the strain in their chakra. Naruto, though, received five memories instead of four and smiled since the one he left to protect Tsunami managed to take care of two low level samurai. He, then, looked at his opponent who in turn was sprawled on the floor exposing a large set of bruises and cuts on his body, but the strangest thing was that Zabuza was looking at him with sadness in his eyes.

Needless to say, the fight was over as Zabuza placed his sword on his back and went to attend the hunter-nin, whose mask broke because of the attack. Upon placing his hands on the boy's forehead, Zabuza was surprised to see reaction to the touch and looked at Naruto. Said blond smiled and approached the two.

"I chose not to end his life, Zabuza-san, even though he tried ending mine. He has talent in the field, but he doesn't possess the emotional skills necessary to face the burden. I can see that you take care of him, even though you're harsh on his training" - Explained Naruto, before seeing Zabuza look at him for a moment with a frown, before looking back at Haku.

"I found him abandoned in Kirigakure and adopted him as my son. Because of my condition as missing-nin, I had to train him to be a weapon, devoted of emotions. Kakashi, I won't fight anymore, we do need the money Gatou offered us, but my son's life is on the line here, I need to take care of him" - Said Zabuza, as he saw the silver haired Jounin approach with caution, before kneeling to see how badly injured Haku was. Seeing Zabuza's face for a moment, Kakashi sighed and nodded, before turning to Tazuna to head back to his home for proper care which the old man nodded.

When the group was about to leave, they heard a voice that irritated Zabuza.

"So, the Demon of the Mist, Kirigakure's best, was beat by mere children. I guess, you all did me a favor, since now I won't need to pay you, Zabuza" - Said Gatou, a midget wearing a black suit, in front of a large group of bandits.

"Gatou, you betrayed me, how dare you?" - Snarled Zabuza, already reaching for Zanbatou to slaughter every one of them, but he, instead, saw the blond turning to face the group.

"Kakashi-Nisan, take Haku and the others to Haku's house, me and Neji will take care of them, don't worry" - Said Naruto as he focused on the next set of enemies, before Neji arrived at his side. Kakashi, however, objected to the whole idea.

"Nonsense, Naruto you used too much chakra with that last attack. Also, they are in much bigger numbers" - Objected Kakashi, while Zabuza was hearing the whole thing, while wondering why the blond would do such a thing, it was not their fight.

"Why are you doing this, kid? I'm their enemy, not you" - Asked Zabuza.

"Let's just say I sympathize with Haku. He confessed to me about not wanting to kill, but he did for the sake of keeping his father proud. In a sense, we are very much alike, since we both still live our respective father's shadow" - Explained Naruto, while still facing his enemies.

Zabuza for his part looked at Kakashi as in wondering who the boy's father is.

"Naruto is the first son of **Konoha no Kiroi Senko**, Aka Yondaime Hokage" - Said Kakashi, before seeing Zabuza look back at Naruto once more, before finally understanding what the blond meant. Hell, surpassing the Yellow Flash was something not even Zabuza wanted to bear.

"Me and Neji will be fine, Kakashi. Just go..." - Said Naruto, to which Kakashi nodded and gathered everyone before they all left, thus leaving Naruto and Neji alone against a mob of angry bandits.

"What's with the speech? You know that one single wind technique of your, this whole mess would be over" - Asked Neji, while looking at the bandits in front of him. Naruto, though, had the decency to laugh at being caught.

"True, though the bond I share with Haku is real. Now, stand back Neji, this technique will take almost all of my chakra so it will be straight Taijutsu, in case one of them survives." - Said Naruto as he began a long series of hand seals as he began to gather wind around him. Neji already saw this jutsu, so he stood back and just watch the show, which consisted of wind molding, courtesy of Namikaze Naruto. Gatou for his part was getting sick of the whole conversation and shouted for his thugs to attack the two. However, their shouts unified didn't even compare to the sudden roar emitted by Naruto's wind dragon, before the beast charged against the group.

No one survived...

* * *

**===At Tazuna's house===**

After sedating Haku, Kakashi Zabuza and the genins were reunited at the living room, until the door opened to reveal Neji carrying Naruto on his shoulders. Kakashi immediately came to the rescue and picked Naruto before landing him on the sofa, before Neji came and explained what happened after they left. The silver haired jounin nodded and got up, thus letting Naruto rest and recover his chakra.

He and Zabuza left the house for a little conversation.

"So what now? Now that Gatou is killed, what will you and Haku do?" – Asked Kakashi as he grabbed a rock and threw at the sea, before looking at the Demon of the Mist.

"Hunter-nins are on our tail ever since we left Kirigakure. I guess the only thing we can do is escape their grasp and work as mercenaries for those who wishes to hire our services" – Stated Zabuza, earning a nod from Kakashi.

"I won't ask the reasons behind you becoming a missing-nin, because I'm not exactly interested in knowing. However, I have a proposition for you and Haku and if you value his life as his father, you'll think about it"- Said Kakashi, before seeing Zabuza look at him, as he continued. "The Yondaime Hokage was my sensei and as such, I could discuss with him a possible place for both you and your son in our shinobi force. By doing so, the hunter-nins would stop going after you and Kirigakure would leave you alone, since they wouldn't risk attacking a leaf shinobi, specially right now because of their current civil war" – Explained Kakashi to which Zabuza frowned and looked away for a while.

The Demon of the Mist sure got lenient with time because of his son, but joining another village was something severely frowned upon, he reasoned. Zabuza was considering every inch of pride he has over his skills and reputation as the Demon of the Hidden Mist. However, by joining Konoha, Haku would have a chance to lead a normal shinobi life with a home and possibly, comrades to fight alongside him. Plus, Zabuza wouldn't need to worry about losing his guard and be decapitated by the hunter-nins. This was a decision that needed some thinking on Zabuza's part.

Kakashi could see that he hit home with his idea so he left Zabuza alone to think about it.

"I'll leave you be for the moment, come talk to me once you've managed to choose the right answer, I'll go check on Naruto" – Said Kakashi, before seeing a slight nod from Zabuza.

Once inside, Kakashi was surprised to see Naruto already up sitting on the sofa, but his eyes wore closed and his position indicated that Naruto was meditating. Deciding not to disturb the blond, Kakashi went to the kitchen as he heard Tazuna and his daughter talking about the fact that she was found by two samurais, but Naruto appeared out of nowhere and saved them from being kidnapped. The silver haired Jounin smiled and looked backwards in admiration at the man his otouto was becoming. Little did he know, though, that Naruto wasn't meditating.

* * *

**===Inside Naruto's mind===**

The full moon in front of him indicated the place he was and Naruto looked to his side and smiled once he saw Fenrir standing there.

"**I can see you've been busy, Naruto. This is good; the one who bears the wolf mark has to carry it with dignity and pride. All of us are proud of having you as our representative in the ninja world. However, for the prophecy to be complete, there is one more step for you to make" – **Said Fenrir, earning a nod from Naruto motioning the wolf to continue. "**The mark lets you perform our jutsus, however for you to fully grasp the abilities of the wolf clan; you must drink what we call "Urufu chishio" **(Wolf blood)". It is just as the name, Naruto. By drinking it, our blood will mingle with yours and as such, create a new being, more powerful, faster and of course, more chakra than you possess right now" – Explained Fenrir, before watching the chosen one to manifest.

"What will happen once I drink it? My appearance will change?" – Asked Naruto, but Fenrir negated with his head.

"**No physical change will occur, just inside your body. However, you'll have the ability to transform into a werewolf upon seeing the full moon. When in this state, you will be able to perform our strongest jutsus called Ookami Hijutsu **(Wolf Secret Techniques). **If you're thinking that some downsize is going to happen, rest assure that no such thing will happen. We wolves care for our pack and we wouldn't think of harming one another. However, the process will be painful. Once our blood collides with your own and begin the process, the pain will start, so it's imperative that you tell your father about this, since you'll need close to 72 hours for the entire process to take place. We'll talk once you reach Konoha"** – Said Fenrir, before Naruto suddenly opened his eyes before wondering about what Fenrir said to him.

* * *

_AN: Okay, that's it for now._

_Kakashi offered Zabuza a place in Konoha's shinobi force, but Zabuza is trapped between his pride and his family, what will he decide?_

_Also, what will happen after Naruto's process is done, how much more powerful will he become afterwards?_

**_Chapter 21 - Transformation_**


	21. Transformation

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* * *

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**Chapter 21 – Transformation**

**Beta: Dreetje**

* * *

Namikaze Minato could say he spent much time in the field and as such, he saw all kinds of events that would've shocked anyone to the core. Of course, just the thought of escaping the last shinobi war alive was proof enough that the Fourth Hokage has been through a lot. However, he had the decency to be surprised once he saw the ninjas that were sent to Wave Country return from their successful mission though it wasn't because of the report that Kakashi engaged against one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist Momochi Zabuza and won, but rather because the very man to whom they fought was standing in front of the Yondaime pledging for asylum in Konoha. Such a thing just wasn't possible in the shinobi world, especially not Momochi Zabuza of all people.

Minato knew Kakashi's intentions, though, as just like any jounin, he knew about a possible invasion occurring. And because of that, having Zabuza on Konoha's side was safe to say a huge advantage. Plus, the man's son, according to Naruto, had a special ability towards ice manipulation which could further increase Konoha's chances of success in case of an invasion. Nevertheless, the problem was how Konoha would be viewed by other hidden villages. Kirigakure wouldn't be a problem, since they are more worried with their own civil war to care that Zabuza just joined the Leaf, however others like Kumo, Iwa and Suna might prove to be troublesome. This decision will have to be first discussed with both Kakashi and the Sandaime, Minato's advisor on shinobi related manners.

"Well, Zabuza-san, Haku-san, I'll take your request into consideration. Remember that while your skills will certainly improve Konoha's shinobi force, I must take how other villages will view this into consideration. Don't worry, though, you're free to remain here in Konoha as long as you need and I'll give my word that no harm will befall either to you and your son Haku. However, I only ask that your presence in Konoha remain a secret at least until I reach the decision. Naruto-kun, would you be so kind to take Zabuza and his son to our house, we happen to have some rooms available where you two can stay" – Said Minato to which Zabuza, Haku and Naruto nodded, before they vanished towards the Namikaze Household. "Kakashi, your team is dismissed, you too Neji, send my regards to your father and uncle" – Said Minato, before Neji and the genins left and so would Kakashi, but Minato called him just before he was reaching for the door.

"Kakashi, you're dismissed as well, but you must be present here in my office two hours from now. I'll be discussing some manners with Sarutobi and Zabuza's request will be discussed as well" – Stated Minato to which Kakashi nodded.

"Sensei, I…" – motioned Kakashi, but Minato interrupted his student.

"You don't have to explain your reasons Kakashi. I know you're taking into account the possible invasion and as such you felt that having Zabuza with us will improve our chances. While your intentions were just, we must think about this manner in a larger perspective than simply drafting strong shinobi for our cause" – Explained Minato to which Kakashi nodded, before leaving the man's office.

* * *

**===At the Namikaze Compound===**

Namikaze Kushina was quietly doing laundry while watching some birds cooling off on the river next to their property. The day was quite warm and those poor little animals just couldn't stand it because of those feathers.

Kushina's days as a housewife was pretty boring at least for a kunoichi as her friend Mikoto commented on occasions, but that was only because the woman now have returned to active duty. Kushina, though, grew accustomed to just taking care of her home and provide enough warmth for her family to reside in it.

And today was just like any other day, she woke up and feed little Misao who just wouldn't stop until she finished at least two whole bottles of milk, before fixing up breakfast for the most important man in this village, her husband. After he left, the house was pretty much empty and she had the entire afternoon to wander around, not doing much.

Yeah, today was indeed a regular day, just like any other.

Looking through the window, Kushina couldn't help but smile upon seeing that her son arrived from his mission to Wave Country and apparently without a single bruise or scratch. As a mother and a doctor, the woman would freeze in fear if she saw anything wrong with her little Naruto-kun. After all, what mother would she be if she didn't worry for her son's safety?

However as soon as she saw that Naruto was bringing in some company, which appeared to be a rather big-sized man carrying a Zanba…

She just couldn't finish her train of thought as immediate realization fell upon her about the man's identity. She did abandon the shinobi world in favor of dedicating her life to her husband and children, but by no means, did she forget the time she served under Konoha's shinobi program. And no doubt, she had the bingo book memorized, well not entirely, but enough to know that her son just brought an A ranked missing-nin from Kiri and one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist into her very house and with little Misao greatly exposed like this.

Quickly reaching for a hidden kunai hidden inside the kitchen, Namikaze Kushina now rushed through every skill she possessed while still a kunoichi and got ready for when Naruto arrived inside along with the menace.

"Kaa-san, I'm home and I brought some guests to stay with us…for a while" – Shouted Naruto, arching his eyebrows upon looking ahead just to see his own mother holding a well polished kunai and in position to strike at any time. He wondered for a second until he had to punch his head in realization. Of course, bringing Momochi Zabuza inside the house was crazy as no doubt the man's fame is well-known. The fact was that Naruto only bothered to cover Zabuza and Haku in overcoats until they reached the Namikaze property and forgot about his mother completely.

"Ah mom, I can explain you see…." – Said Naruto while scratching his head in clear embarrassment, but what Naruto didn't know or didn't have the life experience to see how far a woman would go to protect her home, was that Kushina wouldn't hear anything until Zabuza was either dead or out of Konoha.

"Out of the way Naruto-kun, this man is dangerous; don't worry I'll take care of him" – Stated Kushina with a look that promised some serious whooping and Zabuza was beginning to feel his hand itching to grab his big sword for protection. He did remember to never upset a woman, kunoichi or not. The Demon of the Mist was a firm believer of the period's force in women and how they change from oil to water for nothing at all. Suddenly, Kushina charged against Zabuza with the intent of slicing the man's jugular for good and was about to, since Zabuza wasn't prepared to grab his zanbatou in time; however just before she could reach in striking distance, her son appeared in front of the man, managing to stop the kunai with his twin knives.

"Kaa-san, they are not our enemies, we met in my last mission. Zabuza here and his son came asking to join our forces, they are not our enemies" – Reasoned Naruto, before seeing Kushina's eyes alter for a moment. Kushina eyed her son for a moment to see any lie coming from Naruto, before eyeing Zabuza who was freaked out by this woman. She could have very well killed him if it wasn't for her son.

_Man, she could send chills even on Kisame. Note to self; try not to piss her off during our stay _- Thought Zabuza, while watching Kushina while prepared for the next attack if it comes. Out of the blue, Kushina had the decency to scratch her head while laughing hardly, telling that she was kidding the whole time, an act that earned sweat drops at Naruto, Zabuza and Haku since all of them knew the woman was lying badly.

"Well, what didn't you say so Naruto-kun? Please, take our guests to the guest rooms upstairs and I'll be there in a moment with some blankets and fresh towels" – Said Kushina, before turning and going back to the kitchen.

Naruto was smiling at her mother's antics while Zabuza and Haku were displaying faces of utter shock at the immediate change in attitude coming from the red head.

"You have to forgive Kaa-san; she can be way over protective at times and the fact that my little sister is just two years old, the feeling increases. I'm sorry about not telling her about you beforehand Zabuza-san" – Said Naruto while walking towards the stairs with the Momochis in tow.

"No problem, but I must say that I never saw such a scary woman before and some Kunoichis back in Kiri were highly controlled by their hormones. Haku, it's in our best interest not to piss her off, okay. I don't know if I would be able to save myself let alone save you as well" – Said Zabuza, earning a sweat drop from Haku who was watching the Demon of the Mist scared of a woman, even though the fake hunter-nin was pretty scared himself. Naruto, though, had to hold his stomach from laughing so hard realizing the same thing as Haku did.

"She can be scary like that, yeah. Even my father was scared from her one time but that's a story for another time and I already use it for blackmailing him. Now, Haku you can stay in the furthest room on the end of the hallway, since it's smaller and Zabuza-san take this one with the big bed. If you want to rest, I can show the rest of the house later at night" – Asked Naruto.

"I'm pretty tired Tou-san, may I take some rest first?" – Asked Haku, earning a nod from Zabuza who vouched for his son's idea and said to Naruto that they would rest for a while to which Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Suit yourself; my room is the one next to you Zabuza-san. My father and mother's room is on the other side of the hallway and next to it is my little sister's room. If you need anything, I'll be in my room" – Said Naruto, before he opened his door and closed, before taking his book on advanced raiton manipulation that he earned from his father.

Further improving his second element was a must because of the technique **Raiton Denkougun** (Lightning Release: Lightning Force Jutsu). Kakashi said that in order for him to better use this jutsu without worrying about it backfiring on him was to focus on pure lightning manipulation. One great exercise to practice was to focus on manipulation lightning through various parts of the body like he does in his meditation procedures as well as focus on molding the chakra outside the body like his lightning ball technique.

According to the book, Naruto would have to learn also how to control the lightning's intensity, by either raising or diminishing it. By doing this, Naruto would learn how much it's really needed to perform the technique in hand, not only saving his chakra, but also decreasing the chances of backfiring. He would need some time to replenish his reserves, though, as he used quite a lot on his last mission.

So, taking that into consideration, the blond simply closed his eyes and let eternal bliss take over his body. A couple minutes later, Naruto already fell asleep, but inside his mind was another manner altogether. Naruto opened his eyes to see the moon glowing like a white son, illuminating everything and everyone, before he looked at Fenrir who was also mesmerized by such a hypnotizing sight.

"**I take it you're home already Naruto, how soon can we begin?**" – Asked the white wolf.

"I'd have to wait until my father arrives home to talk to him about it; I didn't have a chance to do that yet…" – Said Naruto, earning a nod from the wolf.

"**Well, there is no hurry I guess" – **Stated Fenrir.

"Let me ask you something Fenrir-sama" – Said Naruto, before he saw the wolf turn to face him. "This procedure I'll be undertaking, how painful is it going to be?" – Asked Naruto, earning a smile from the wolf.

"**The merger of your blood to ours is quite gruesome procedure and there will be times when you'll beg for me to stop it just for the pain to stop.** **The last one who went through with it took whole 2 days for it to end and he screamed the whole time in pain, what don't tell me you're scared?"** – Taunted Fenrir, earning a snort from Naruto. **"After you drink It, the pain will be immediate, this procedure doesn't have a time limit, though, it all depends on how your body and chakra can withstand the pain and control it"** – Explained Fenrir, earning a sigh in preparation from the blond, before he opened his eyes to find that he was back in his room, after a quick little nap.

Actually he was awakened by a knock on his door, before he got up to see who it was.

"Oh Zabuza, I thought you'd want to sleep some more, are you feeling well rested?" – Asked Naruto, earning a nod from the demon of the mist.

"I'm accustomed to resting only the necessary amount of time, when you escape from the hunter-nin's grasp; you simply cannot let your defenses drop, so you're saying to show us the rest of the house" – Said Zabuza, earning a nod from Naruto who in turn closed the door and went for the stairs as Zabuza and Haku followed him suit.

"Our compound is rather small compared to the more notorious clan like Uchiha and Hyuuga, but we compensate for our extensive gardens which can be used as a training ground, but we have to be careful otherwise my mother…well, you know how she can be, right?" – Asked Naruto, to which Zabuza nodded while flinching at the sight.

Naruto opened the window that lead to the garden and showed both Zabuza and Haku the Namikaze's extensive garden and the mist-nins were impressed that they have a small lake in their property.

"My family's property goes all the way until that big tree in the horizon. Afterwards, it's the Nara Clan's property. You two will be staying with us until my father agrees with both of you joining our forces. Don't worry, though, I'm sure he'll agree to it, he just needs to consider the exterior circumstances. Well, it's due time for me to go visit someone special to me, you two will be alright on your own. If you want anything, my mother will be glad to help" – Said Naruto, before he waved his hand and then vanished within a small tornado, surprising both Zabuza and Haku at the usage of wind technique.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Appearing outside his compound, Naruto went towards the place he knew his girlfriend would be training the Junior Anbu division. After a while, he arrived at the place only to see a great number of blurs going through an advanced field. He looked around and smiled when he spotted the one with the long purple hair and casually walked towards the woman who until seeing him, was with her arms crossed while inspecting the Anbu's work.

"It's nice seeing you again Neko-san, I see you're as busy as ever with the Anbu tutoring thing" – Said Naruto, once he stood side by side with Yuugao who in turn was smiling from ear to ear at seeing her boyfriend, but she was wearing a mask, so Naruto couldn't see it.

"What a pleasant surprise Naruto-sama, so you returned from your mission safe and sound, I presume" – Manifested Yuugao, not wanting to lose the game they enjoyed playing. Naruto smiled and just nodded, while looking at the Anbus moving through the course while evading numerous traps and exploding tags.

"I came by just this morning with Kakashi-sensei and his team along with Neji. Now, either you're going easy on them or they're getting better" – Said Naruto as he saw one of the Anbu trainees dodge one trap which would've hurt a lot, considering that he would have to escape a bunch of rubber kunais. It wouldn't kill him, but surely it would hurt.

Yuugao thought about Naruto's commentary and decided to past it…well not until they were alone and she could give him the proper punishment.

"Anbus gather around" – Shouted Yuugao, before a number of blurs appeared in front of her while kneeled down. "Seeing as you managed to finish this set of course, next week I'll improve it, you know to make it more difficult. The path to a full Anbu member doesn't require flashy jutsus and ability in taijutsu or genjutsu. In the field, things happen out of the blue and it's required of you to be prepared for when it happens. Great job all of you; meet me next week, same time, same day. Dismissed" – Said Yuugao, before they vanished.

She actually took some time to be sure that no one saw them, before she took off her mask and threw herself in Naruto's arms like they was no tomorrow.

"I missed you so much Naruto-kun, so how was the mission?" – Asked Yuugao, before seeing that smile that she adored about him.

"I missed you too Yuugao-chan, the mission was fine, we did meet some strong adversaries, but in the end nothing bad happened. Kakashi-sensei faced Momochi Zabuza in battle and me and Neji faced a man by the name of Haku who can control hyoton techniques. The battle was hard, but in the end, Zabuza was betrayed by a man named Gatou who hired him to kill the man we're protecting, so the enemy became our ally" – Reported Naruto, to which Yuugao nodded, before he continued. "Say, since you don't have any other duties with Anbu for the day, what you say we get some lunch together" – Invited Naruto to which Yuugao smiled, only saying that she needed to change her clothes a bit and then meet him at the sushi place they both go.

* * *

**===At the Hokage's office===**

Once Sarutobi and Kakashi arrived, they and the Hokage started to discuss certain events and what would the best decision. Sarutobi heard Minato and Kakashi's story about approving the concession of a place in Konoha's forces for both Momochi Zabuza and his son. He knew about a lot of advantages these two could bring to Konoha as Zabuza is a master in kenjutsu and his son Haku knows how to use hyoton techniques, which by itself; would be a valid reason for his entrance in Konoha.

The problem was and Minato agreed with was that the political issue of it all. Sure, the man was a missing-nin and as such, he severed all ties with his home village. However, Sarutobi wasn't concerned with Kirigakure, but rather the other influential villages throughout the elemental nations. The act of recruiting Zabuza into their forces will definitely sound like some preparation for war and either Iwa or Kumo could retaliate and Konoha has enough problems with Orochimaru lurking around. However, in case an invasion occurs, Zabuza and Haku could add to Konoha's victory.

"Minato-kun, Kakashi-kun; this is indeed a sensitive issue for reasons that I'm sure both of you are aware of. The fact still remains that Orochimaru will try to invade this village and we are certain he'll drag another village for his purposes. However, which village we still don't know. Now, even though having someone as Zabuza with us could turn out to anger either Iwa or Kumo, his skills may prove to be the key to saving more of our citizen's lives" – Explained Sarutobi, earning a nod from Minato.

"Zabuza is a missing-nin Sarutobi; would you think they would come to us because of it?" – Asked Minato, while seeing him drinking a cup of tea.

"Normally no, but because of Zabuza's fame, him joining our forces will be interpreted as arming for battle. So, I'm assuming you'll give him a jounin position but what about his son? For what I read on the mission profile, he gave both Neji and Naruto quite the run with his ice needles jutsu" – Asked Sarutobi, earning a nod from Minato.

"Indeed, Zabuza is on terms with Kakashi here so jounin will be his position. I was considering Anbu but first we have to test where his loyalties are. Haku will receive a chunnin position, though he will be able to attend the jounin exams in a couple of months. Kakashi, who do you think would works well with someone like Zabuza. As I understand, he has quite a temper?" – Asked Minato, earning his student's attention who until now was actually feeling left over.

"In my opinion, Zabuza is a well-rounded individual with plenty of time to depend only on himself, especially since he had to leave Kirigakure. I'm afraid he won't be so eager to working with a team nor he will agree to follow someone else's orders. The only person I believe would work with him would be his son, but I don't know. Such a man respects strength and he wouldn't be with someone who's either weak or lack the necessary skills particular to a jounin level shinobi" – Explained Kakashi, while keeping his book inside his kunai holster.

Minato and Sarutobi nodded, since they thought the exact same thing. In order to survive out there, a missing-nin could not bring himself to just drop his defenses, because the second he does so, it would be his downfall. Clearing his throat, the Yondaime gave his position regarding the manner in hand.

"I'll go with him respecting strength, then and will be placing him together with his son for missions, on occasions, though; I'll place other ninjas with him being the leader of course. Perhaps, either my son or Neji can fit the last man of the team quite nicely. I'll be responsible for breaking the news to them since they are residing at my house and I'm sure Naruto has introduced them to…oh shit I forgot about Kushina" – Said Minato, freezing in realization at what his wife could do when utter mad. Surprisingly, neither Sarutobi nor Kakashi made one single joke at the Yondaime, because apparently they knew never to be on the receiving end of one Namikaze Kushina.

"I just hope that Naruto managed to explain what happened before Kushina tries to kill Zabuza at sight" – Wondered Minato out loud, while remembering some events where his son managed to bail him out of trouble with some clever excuse that only he and his wife would be able to come up with in such short notice. Minato took the silent moment to remember that even though physically Naruto resembles his father in every way shape or form, but personality wise was hard not to link his personality to his mother's. "Well, I suppose I'll be on the receiving end tonight and there is nothing I can do about it. Now, Sarutobi, did Jiraya-sensei tell you something about the snake? As I'm sure you mentioned at the meeting, he was following the man's every move." – Asked Minato, earning a nod from Sarutobi.

"Jiraya-kun was able to inform that Orochimaru is on the move with his plan, but he cannot say for sure when it will be. Nevertheless, Orochimaru's cunning mind is what we should consider here. Just breaking through our main gates won't guarantee that he would be victorious; hence why it's my guess that he will take an opportunity where our defenses would be severely compromised" – Said Sarutobi, earning a questioned look from both Minato and Kakashi, before the old man began to explain with as much wisdom as a man who thought in two shinobi wars and emerged victorious. "It seems that it's our turn once more to host the chunnin exams and because of it, Konoha becomes crowded with tourists and nobles throughout the elemental nations who would come to see the new crops of chunnin wannabes. Because of this, protecting everyone and the village at the same time would prove to be a very sensitive position for us should my student attacks" – Explained Sarutobi, to which Minato frowned in worry at such a thought.

"It would be even worse if he managed to drag another village with him to the invasion, then. This is bad news, we must mobilize our forces sooner than anticipated" – Reasoned Minato, earning a nod from Sarutobi.

"In secret, though, it's preferable, Minato-kun. We're still not sure if Orochimaru has other spies under his command hidden within our ranks. Prefer it would be wise to call in the Anbu commander and discuss some measures for when the third part of the exam in a month and a half. Kakashi, would you do the honors for us" – Said Sarutobi, to which Kakashi nodded and left the room instantly.

* * *

**===At the Namikaze Household===**

After Naruto went out with Yuugao for some lunch, he dropped her home, but not after having to assure her regarding some events that would occur in the future.

_**Flashback on**_

_Naruto and Yuugao were just sharing a sushi special while Naruto reported to the woman about their mission and the fact that Konoha may have two new reinforcements. _

"_Okay, let me hear this straight, you fought against a foe that uses hyoton techniques and Kakashi-sempai fought with Zabuza. Afterwards, Kakashi-senpai offered to the Demon of the Mist, responsible for Kirigakure's coup d'état, to join Konoha and on top of that, he's in your house as we speak?" – Asked Yuugao to which Naruto nodded, though he wondered if the woman would behave just like his mother did and tried to kill Zabuza, before she offered another question. "What did your mother do when she saw him? I'd imagine her going haywire at the least" – Asked Yuugao, earning a giggle from Naruto upon remembering what happened. _

"_She actually tried to kill him with a kunai!!! It was really funny to see the Demon of the Mist almost shit himself, but I guess he just entered the list of people that are afraid of Kushina Namikaze. If I didn't stop her, Zabuza's jugular would be sliced in pieces" – Smiled Naruto, before seeing Yuugao laugh as well at the image of a mad mother-in-law. _

"_I fear for Hokage-sama when he arrives home, your mother may have accepted Zabuza's presence at her house, certainly he will be on the receiving end of the whole thing and It won't be pretty. And this time, you won't be around to free your father out of trouble Naruto-kun" – Smiled Yuugao to which Naruto smiled as well. _

"_Guess not…." – Smiled Naruto, while seeing Yuugao laughing, but suddenly he got serious and Yuugao noticed it, hence she stopped laughing and eyed her boyfriend with uncertainty. "Yuugao-chan, I have some news regarding the wolf mark on my arm" – Said Naruto, before seeing Yuugao stiffen in sudden fear of something happening to him. "Fenrir-sama communicated with me once more, saying that for me to complete the next step was necessary for me to undergo a very demanding ritual" – Said Naruto. _

"_What kind of ritual and it would demand of you?" – Asked Yuugao, but she already knew the answer wouldn't be a pleasant one. _

"_According to him, my blood would be mixing to that of the wolf clan and as a result, I'll be faster, stronger and with at least double the chakra that I already possess" – Explained Naruto, to which Yuugao sighed in relief, but he wasn't finished. "The demanding part of it, though, it's the procedure itself. According to Fenrir-sama, the time the wolf blood gets in contact with my own, the pain will be immediate and it won't settle until my body gets accustomed to it" – Said Naruto with a somber look on his face as in getting ready for it. _

"_How long it will take for it to stop?" – Asked Yuugao._

"_The last one that went through this procedure took close to 48 hours to complete" – Said Naruto, before seeing the knowing look of shock from his girlfriend_

_**Flashback off**_

It took a while for him to convince her about his resolve in this matter, but in the end he managed. Once he entered his house, he noticed that everything was in its rightful place which meant that no confrontation occurred. Wandering around, he saw his mother fixing some sandwiches for her guests, but neither Zabuza nor Haku were anywhere to be seen. After asking his mother about, she pointed that they were at the garden.

Once outside, he saw Zabuza watching as Haku was sitting on top of the water presumably training some sort of chakra control exercise.

"What is he doing?" – Asked Naruto, earning Zabuza's attention as he then turned to see his son.

"Haku is improving his hyoton skills while freezing the water of the lake and unfreezing it right afterwards. We do this every day we see water" – Explained Zabuza, earning a nod from Naruto, before he turned to see Naruto once more. "I was meaning to ask you something. During your fight with my son, you used fuuton ninjutsu, but I'm able to sense different chakra inside of you and I'm quite certain that I felt some traces of suiton" – Asked Zabuza, before seeing a nod coming from the blond, even though a part of him was glad that Zabuza didn't sense his raiton manifestation. Zabuza may become a Konoha ninja, but it wouldn't do any good to expose his abilities to a man that could easily kill him.

"Fuuton is my prime affinity, but I managed to use suiton manipulation for defensive purposes" – Said Naruto, earning a nod from Zabuza.

"I see; well Haku is the same, though he has a second affinity for suiton. By mixing fuuton and suiton, he can use hyoton techniques" – Explained Zabuza, before he saw Haku suddenly open his eyes and the whole lake froze in an instant, before returning to normal. Getting up from where he was sitting, he looked at his father.

"Haku, you're getting better but until you can freeze the lake instantly, there is still ground for improvement. Now, we'll practice some physical exercises; Naruto would you assist us in training Haku?" – Asked Zabuza, earning a nod from Naruto.

"Sure, what should I do?" – Asked Naruto.

"I happen to know that a fuuton user can increase the air resistance around a certain place, thus making it hard for the opponent to move, can you do it?" – Asked Zabuza, earning a nod from Naruto, before he continued explaining the exercise. "Haku will have to dodge some projectiles that I'll be throwing while you use your skills to haut his movements with fuuton chakra. Don't worry, he is used to this exercise, shall we begin; Haku get ready" – Said Zabuza, earning a nod from his son and Naruto, before the three vanished within a blur, thus initiating the exercise.

* * *

**===At night=== **

After Minato arrived at his house, he greeted his wife who was at the kitchen fixing tonight's dinner with a knife on his hand. He remembered the Zabuza incident and found that going anywhere near his wife while holding that knife of hers wasn't such a prudent action. At first, she just greeted him back and he first thought that Naruto did take him out of trouble; however he flinched when she turned and addressed him.

"Don't you think you'll walk out of this Minato-kun, but for the sake of our guests, I'll refrain from making a scene. Now, go call them for dinner, I believe they are at the garden" – Said Kushina, to which Minato gulped and then went towards the garden only to see Zabuza and Naruto in a stalemate while holding their weapons in the middle. Minato was quite surprised that Naruto was able to hold his own against one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist; even if he somehow knew Zabuza was holding something back.

"Oi Naruto, Zabuza and Haku, dinner is ready" – Shouted Minato, earning an Okay in acknowledgement from his son who looked at his opponent and then let go of the stalemate position while thanking Zabuza for the spar.

Dinner was uneventful with less conversation than ordinary, because of the type of visit. Zabuza was as talkative as Kakashi while reading his porn novel and wouldn't respond anything besides the strictly necessary. Quickly remembering, Minato threw a scroll to Zabuza.

"Zabuza-san, I just remembered. After discussion with my advisor, we decided to let you and your son join our forces. In this scroll, there are the uniforms for a jounin and a chunnin. Also, you are to be paired with your son for missions and on occasions, I'll place another one under your command, understood. Oh and I'll have my secretary look for a suitable place to stay and don't worry, by this time, every shinobi knows of your position and won't act in any way against either you or your son" – Smiled Minato, earning a nod from Zabuza.

"I appreciate Hokage-sama; truly escaping from hunter-nins can be quite tiring" – Said Zabuza, earning a smile from Minato, before the dinner proceeded. Afterwards, the dinner was quite uneventful and they cleaned up the table.

After the cleaning, Zabuza and Haku went to their respective bedrooms, thus leaving the Namikaze family alone, well at least, Naruto and Minato since Kushina was feeling rather tired from doing some chores around the house. To Naruto it was perfect since this way, he could speak with his old man about the procedure he was about to undertake.

Fixing some sake to relax for a while, Minato saw his son approach with a serious look on his face and he wondered what troubled him.

"Tou-san, may I speak with you? It's important" – Asked Naruto, earning a smile and a nod from his father, before he continued. "Well, you remember how I said that Fenrir-sama, the clan head of the Wolf Clan, can communicate with me through the mark in my arm right? Well, while in my last mission, he talked to me once more about a necessary ritual I'm supposed to undertake as the chosen one" – Said Naruto, before seeing his father's serious look.

"If I were to interpret from your serious face Naruto, I'd say that this ritual you're referring to is quite troublesome. May I ask why this is even necessary? From what I recall, you already have the possession of the Wolf Clan contract" – Asked Minato, earning a nod from Naruto, when suddenly he heard a voice calling him asking to be summoned to the outside world. Quickly doing some hand seals and biting his thumb, Naruto slammed his hand on the ground, before a white wolf appeared.

"**Greetings Yondaime-sama, it's an honor to finally meet you. I'm Fenrir, the head of the Wolf Clan"** – Said the wolf as he bowed in respect.

"Greetings Fenrir-sama, the honor is mutual, now I assume you came to explain this ritual my son will be undertaking" – Asked Minato, earning a nod from the wolf as he explained.

"**I guess so. This procedure as Naruto so ****puts it is called Urufu Chishio (Wolf Blood) and Naruto here will be required to drink our blood. Once the blood enters his system, it will mix with his own, thus beginning the ritual. It will only end until his body adjusts to the mixture. The only problem with it and the very reason why Naruto and I agreed to seek your approval is that Naruto will suffer an excruciating amount of pain unlike none before and I can't tell you for sure how long it will take for the ritual to be complete" **– Explained Fenrir to which Minato frowned in dismay at the explanation.

"Okay, you explained what the ritual entails, but you didn't explain the reason for my son to withstand such a thing. Withstanding pain for a long time can cause damage to both body and brain, it's too risky" – Asked Minato.

"**As the chosen one, your son will carry the blood of our clan to where he goes. Such was the path of those before him. As for the ritual's results, Naruto will increase his power, speed and chakra. Also, he will then possess skills particular to our clan. Now, I agree that enduring pain can very well damages the body, but I also understand the concern a father has for his son as I happen to have offspring as well. And I'll give my word, Yondaime-sama, that no harm shall occur with your son nor he will appear differently than he is right now, except maybe a few inches taller and more muscular" **– Explained Fenrir, earning a contemplative nod from Minato, before he looked at his son in order to see his resolve in this.

"What do you think Naruto? Are you up for whatever will happen?" – Asked Minato, while still studying any sort of doubt in his son's face.

"I am father, I am. By doing this, I'll be of more service to you and more able to protect both the village and those I care for deeply in my heart" – Said Naruto with great resolve in this, before he saw his father smile at him.

"I see; it takes courage to accept something without knowing the full extent and I can very well see your resolve in this my son. Your reasons for doing this are just and not selfish, you don't want to do this for power, but rather to better protect those close to you and as a father, I'm proud of you my son as I have been since you first initiated your shinobi training. Well, if it's my approval you seek, and then you have it, however for this ritual to occur, someone will have to watch my son, Fenrir-sama" – Said Minato, earning a nod from the wolf.

"**As I said before, Yondaime-sama, no harm shall happen to your son. I'll personally be overseeing the procedure and you can very well point someone to be there with me to assist Naruto in anything he needs" – **Said Fenrir, earning a nod from Minato.

"Okay, it's better to do this where no one can see him or try anything while he's in the middle of the ritual. Tomorrow morning, Naruto take Fenrir-sama here to the caves inside the Hokage monument, no one will know you're there and I'll send Kakashi there as well. Now, please rest my son, I have a feeling you'll have a busy day tomorrow" – Said Minato, earning a nod from Naruto and Fenrir, before the wolf disappeared.

Naruto bid his father farewell and was about to go upstairs when his father called him once more.

"Naruto, after the ritual is done, I want you to increase your training my son. I fear troubled times lies ahead of us and as such, we should be ready just in case" – Advised Minato, before seeing his son watch him for a moment in contemplation at his father's words. To this day, Naruto never saw that look on his father and it certainly meant that something really bad was about to happen soon and as such, his new powers will come in hand.

"Don't worry father, I'll train harder than always" – Smiled Naruto, earning a nod from his father.

"I'll be keeping you inside the village for you to train my son and your team as well at least until the chunnin exams that will happen in a month and a half" – Said Minato, earning a nod from Naruto before he once again said goodnight to his father.

**

* * *

**

**===the next day=== **

Unlike normal mornings, today the sun didn't find the strength to overcome the number of clouds that closed the sky and suddenly lightning appeared one by one. Naruto didn't bother seeing the somber look on the weather because his mind was currently on something else entirely. As he walked through the empty streets of Konoha towards the place where he would begin the ritual, he couldn't help but suffer in anticipation of the pain Fenrir-sama said he would feel. After having one small breakfast so he wouldn't throw up, Naruto was scheduled to meet Kakashi on the top of the Hokage Monument when, then, they would get inside and Naruto would summon Fenrir to begin the torture.

He remembered the look on his mother's face as she fixed some breakfast. No doubt, his father told her everything because she couldn't even hold the frying pan from shaking so much. Nevertheless, whatever thoughts she had about this whole thing she kept to herself, but the look on her face told him everything he knew.

Once he arrived at the designated mountain, he looked up to see the four faces of the most important men in Konoha. Shodaime and the Nidaime Hokage were responsible for the village's foundation and protection in the First Shinobi War. The Sandaime Hokage was their student and the decision maker that lead Konoha to victory at the last shinobi war with his father, the Yondaime Hokage, under his command. All of them played a significant role for the village's welfare and today, he would do his share by gaining the power needed to protect Konoha. It didn't take too long until Naruto climbed the mountain before he saw Kakashi there hanging next to a tree while apparently engrossed in his novel. By this time, the rain was already heavy, but Naruto just kept looking at his brother figure while feeling the heavy drops falling on his head.

"Are you ready Naruto?" – Asked Kakashi, while still fixing his gaze at his book.

"As ready as I'll ever be Kakashi-nisan. It's funny actually, cause I feel like this heavy rain in my head will be like a walk in the park compared to the what will follow shortly" – Said Naruto, as he approached next to Kakashi close to the cave entrance.

Once inside, the noise of the rain echoed through the numerous paths that would lead to a big and spaced room where Naruto and Kakashi were now heading to. Naruto had to admit he never came inside the Hokage Mountain and he found it to be quite nice just to be there and listen to the water's echoes. After stopping the midst of the clearing, Kakashi looked at Naruto, as in waiting for him to bring the next guest for the party to be completed. Biting his thumb, Naruto then went through a number of hand seals, before slamming his hands on the ground.

**Ookami Kuchiyose no Jutsu Fenrir ****(**Wolf Summoning Technique Fenrir)

Immediately, Fenrir appeared with a strange looking vile on his mouth, while looking at Naruto and apparently Kakashi.

"**Now I recognized you Hatake Kakashi, member of the Hatake Family and holder of the summoning contract for dogs, you smells just like one" **– Smiled Fenrir, but Kakashi chose to ignore all in favor of continue to read his book, but it didn't struck a cord in Fenrir, so he just let it pass and turned to see Naruto as he placed the vile on the ground. "**I know I didn't give much choice to you Naruto on this manner, but do you feel up to it?" – **Asked Fenrir, earning a nod in positive from Naruto.

"Whether or not I'm ready for it, I don't exactly have a choice in the manner. However, this is not for a selfish reason for obtaining power rather it is for using it to protect the village and my family" – Stated Naruto, earning a nod from the wolf, before he bended over and grabbed the vile. Upon opening it, he took one last look at Fenrir as he began the explanation.

"**As I said before, the pain will be immediate. Your body temperature will rise above a hundred degrees Celsius and your blood will begin to evaporate. Since it's lodged inside your body and it travels through your veins and arteries, they will suffer some damage trying to contain the blood temperature. I believe that the heavens smiled on you today Naruto, because the rain will serve to improve the power your brain have over your body. By thinking about the cool rain outside, you can further control the body temperature, not letting it rise to unbearable heat. Also, when the ritual starts, your body will be using its chakra to control the situation and here comes the tough part. I'm not saying that you shouldn't use chakra, it's just that your chakra capacity must not falter until the end of the procedure, from risk of severe chakra exhaustion and even death, so be careful" – **Alerted Fenrir, earning a nod from Naruto as he positioned the vile close to his mouth, before ingesting all at once.

At first, he didn't feel a thing except that it tasted funny. However, close to five seconds later, his eyes became blurry and his body began to tremble. Instantly, he dropped on the ground while holding his body with his arms as in trying to stop the pain that now covered his whole body. Naruto wondered at first if the pain would be unbearable, but he never guessed it would be like this. In an instant, he ripped the chunnin vest from his body with force as his body was entirely wet from the hot temperature. Soon, not only he had to worry about the temperature, but the wolf blood travelling through his veins with force. He felt like the veins and arteries would explode, if it wasn't for his chakra subduing the wolf chakra for now.

Watching from afar, Kakashi and Fenrir were discussing Naruto's pain with a heavy heart…at least on Kakashi's part as he wondered why Naruto choose to do such a gruesome task.

"**I can tell you're feeling his pain Kakashi-san as I have the power of reading minds. Don't worry, though, Naruto is tough and he'll overcome this. After all, he is one of us and we are a proud species"**** – **Said Fenrir.

"I know that he's strong, perhaps already too strong for his age, he doesn't need to go through with this. It has been only ten minutes and he isn't showing signs of coping with the pain" – Stated Kakashi, earning a nod from Fenrir.

"**The reason he'll succeed is his drive to protect those he care for and that happens to be the reason why Tsukyomi (**Moon God**) chose him as our representative in this world. Remember Kakashi, one's true strength only appears when you're protecting someone. There will be a time when Naruto will scream and perhaps even try to rip his skin just for the pain to stop, but the thought of losing his precious one will drive him to overcome this obstacle, just you wait and see"** – Smiled Fenrir as he saw with ease that Naruto looked like he just got out of the shower as he suddenly began to roll on the ground not even bothering to feel the pain of skin's heavy contact against the dirt and even some rocks.

**

* * *

**

**===At the Namikaze Household===**

It was already night and her husband had returned from his office, but the look on his face told Kushina that he was just as bit as worried as she was for Naruto. Naruto was a couple miles away from the house, but she could very well hear his screams of pain echoing through the caves. She wished she could be with her son taking the pain from him and giving it to her instead as it would be less painful than seeing her son suffering so much. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door and Minato went to open, revealing Naruto's girlfriend Yuugao panting from apparently crossing the entire village just to get home.

"Kushina-san, Yondaime-sama, is Naruto alright? Has he come back?" – Asked Yuugao, but Minato just nodded in the negative before looking at his fiancée's watery eyes.

"No, he's not here yet. According to Fenrir-sama, the procedure could take longer than a day since the last one took 2 days to finish. I know my son to be stubborn about quitting, but I fear the pain might be too much for him to handle" – Said Minato but everyone could feel that he spoke with a heavy heart. Suddenly, Kushina sighed in dismay and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, before turning to her family and Yuugao.

"We must believe he'll get over this situation and come back stronger to face the danger in the future. It's his future and he chose it this way. I hope….I hope that everything is okay" – Said Kushina, while trying to contain her tears, but she couldn't help as they fell freely from her eyes. Yuugao went by her side the second it started, while whispering words of confidence about their special blond.

**

* * *

**

**===At the cave===**

One day passed and Naruto's body was filled with bruises and blood. At one point during the night, he just couldn't take the pain anymore and decided to beat himself severely in hopes of replacing a bigger pain for a small one and compensate every once in a while. Nevertheless, the pain just wouldn't leave him alone, no matter how much he screamed to the heavens and pretty much cursed every single iwa shinobi in existence. He could feel his chakra capacity slowly draining and he feared that it wouldn't be enough by the end of the procedure.

Watching from afar, Kakashi was now shaking his body just by watching Naruto contorting his whole body because of the pain. His chest was covered by blood and every ten minutes, Naruto would spill blood. It was unnerving how the wolf could just stand there and watch like he didn't care what happened to the kid. However, what Kakashi didn't know was that Fenrir could very well sense the wolf blood on the verge of mingling with Naruto's. However, Naruto must realize the last step on his own as it's necessary for the ritual to be complete.

Turning back to Naruto, he was beginning to lose focus on his surroundings as fatigue was beginning to take over his body, which was a sign of low chakra capacity.

_The pain…it's too much…I can't breathe…my body is so hot right now, I can't even think straight – Thought Naruto as he punched the ground numbers of times._

Suddenly, though, a memory clicked inside his mind and he regained focus once more. It was the same image that plagued his sleeps in the forms of nightmares as he watched his family being slaughtered in front of him by Iwa-nins.

_I can't give up right now, I can feel it's getting close…I can't give up dammit. I can't let all this go to nothing, what will happen to those precious to me if I die here. Tou-san, Kaa-san, Yuugao-chan, Misao-neechan, Kakashi-nisan, Neji, Anko-sensei, Tenten…I just can't give up….. I WON'T GIVE UP!!!! _- Screamed Naruto inside his mind as a sudden new source of chakra just appeared out of nowhere, before a bright light engulfed the cave where they stood, thus blinding Kakashi and Fenrir momentarily.

After they managed to see, there he was in the middle of the clearing on his foot. Approaching the blond, he suddenly saw the boy fall limp on the ground, before he dashed quickly to grab Naruto in fear of losing him for the pain. But Kakashi was relieved once he managed to felt a strong pulse on his neck. _Geez, he took it all and in record time no less, truly a most surprising ninja you are Naruto. _– thought Kakashi as he looked at Fenrir who was smiling.

"**I told you he would succeed Kakashi, take him home to rest. He won't be waking up for at least two days and in this period, the new blood will be improving his attributes****. No doubt, the boy is special. He managed to finish in just one day while the last one needed close to two days to do so. I will report his success to my clan, so long Kakashi" – **Said Fenrir, earning a nod from Kakashi, before he looked at Naruto once more with a proud smile on his face.


	22. Reeducation

_**AN: **__Before I start this chapter, I feel like I should tell my opinion of Naruto Manga n. 469 (spoiler if you haven't read it, then go directly to the chapter)._

_Sakura just got dumped by Naruto big time. However, what was up with Kiba's memory about Sakura asking for the Konoha 9 to let her talk to him, was it all coordinated from the beginning? Did she know how Naruto would react and did it so that Naruto would give up on her? I don't know, at first I was considering that the damn creator finally had some sense in his mind, but after I read the manga, I was confused. _

_Does someone share my view regarding this chapter? Does anyone of my readers feel that this was nothing but her plan all along? Please review me telling your thoughts as well as the chapter obviously. _

_Now enough about the real deal, let's focus on fan fiction, here it is chapter 22. _

* * *

**Chapter 22 – Reeducation**

**Beta: Dreetje**

* * *

After Fenrir left the place, Kakashi was left with an unconscious Naruto on the ground. Just by looking at his beaten body, made Kakashi wonder just how much Naruto had to endure since the beginning of the ritual. Hearing his screams, seeing him rolling on the hard ground made the silver haired jounin shiver and he was on the verge of stopping the exam right there and then. In the end, though, the procedure was successful and the blond was soundly asleep, and would remain as such, for at least two days if Fenrir's information was any indication. Now, as he kneeled on the ground as in trying to take the little Naruto on his arms, Kakashi had the decency to smile sheepishly since the blond wasn't so little and light anymore. Being that said, he positioned Naruto on his back as he left the cave, going straight to the Hokage's house where Naruto's family would be expecting him.

The sun was already up in Konoha and the village's population had already filled the streets with laughter and joy. So, Kakashi headed for the rooftops in hopes of not calling any sort of attention to either him or the unconscious blond on his back. Who knows how many answers he would have to give if someone saw him carrying a presumably beaten Naruto on his back? The man even thought of increasing his pace so as not to catch any wandering shinobis jumping on rooftops, but since he already spotted the Namikaze Household on the horizon, he figured that no one would catch him. Sad mistake! Although it wasn't someone Kakashi dreaded to encounter and this person was one of the few who knew about Naruto's ritual with the wolf clan. And this person was none other than the blond's girlfriend Uzuki Yuugao.

The woman was wearing her standard Anbu uniform as she managed to cope with Kakashi's pace towards the Namikaze Household. Immediately upon seeing her boyfriend on Kakashi's back, her mind went haywire with a million questions as to what happened with him; however she knew her sempai enough to know that everything would be explained once they arrive at the Household. Nevertheless, she looked at the blond for a while, seizing him up from head to toe, and for her surprise, Naruto's physique changed big deal.

He had grown both in height and his muscles, that much was obvious. And she noticed that Kakashi was having trouble coping with his speed, meaning that Naruto put on some weight as well, which was quite obvious, since he was now taller and more muscular than before, which despite the possible dangerous situation Naruto was possibly facing at the moment, the woman couldn't help but blush red at his new appearance. Luckily she was wearing the mask or else Kakashi would have noticed immediately. She was caught by surprise when Kakashi asked between saving his energy to breathe.

"Yuugao...where is the Hokage? Is he at his office?" - Asked Kakashi, focusing a great deal of chakra to his limbs so that he wouldn't over work his leg muscles. Damn it Naruto, he thought. The boy, now, man was easily close to his height now and heavier to carry throughout the village. The man sighed in dismay as he was supposed to meet with his Genin team later on for some training. _Well, I guess I'll have a better excuse now, hehehe! _

"Hokage-sama confided to me that in his office is his Kage Bunshin. The real him is waiting inside his house for Naruto. Speaking of which, besides the obvious physical change, I don't see much difference between my boyfriend now and before the ritual. Do you know anything about it?" - Asked Yuugao, before seeing him nod in the negative.

"According to the head of the Wolf Clan, Naruto's change will occur as he sleeps for the next two days. The first changes already occurred throughout the travel since I could feel his weight increasing, getting difficult to carry him out of a sudden. It's my fair belief that his chakra capacity and chakra pathways will suffer some changes soon. Being that as it may, we won't know for sure until he awakes in two day" - Explained Kakashi, before they arrived at the Compound only to see Kushina and the Yondaime running at him while the frantic mother took a look at her unconscious son.

After some brief explanation from Kakashi, they entered the house and positioned Naruto on his bed in order to rest as the rest was in the living room discussing about what happened. Zabuza and Haku were also there, but the difference was that they now wore, respectively, Chuunin and Jounin attire from Konohagakure, meaning that the Hokage managed to enroll them in the village's shinobi force. They would start looking for a house today, until Naruto appeared being carried by the copy-nin Kakashi.

Once everyone was comfortable, Kakashi started by explaining the procedure, thoroughly, describing each step of the way. It was hard for Kushina, Minato and Yuugao to hear every word that came out of Kakashi's mind and not think of curse words to say to the Head of the Wolf Clan. Granted they all knew about the dangerous procedure, but they weren't aware that so much suffering would befall on the blond. Minato himself wondered if he would be able to handle it, a thought mirrored by everyone present in the room, surprisingly, including Zabuza. The man flinched on the part that Naruto became to beat himself relentlessly in hopes of stopping the pain within his chakra coils. In the end, though, the ritual was a success and Naruto was to sleep for the next two days as his body would become adjusted. Kushina even went as much as run her medical green hands on his body to make sure nothing happened to his internal organs. She was glad that nothing happened to her son or else she would go ballistic on her husband for even allowing this to happen.

**

* * *

**

**===Two days after===**

Two days passed in a blink as Konoha was making its preparations for the upcoming Chuunin Exams as well, as in secret of course, preparing their new defense system in order to be prepared for Orochimaru's invasion. Missions were being handled with care, so as not to arouse any suspicion. Minato would slowly, but surely, decreasing the number of missions outside the village and increasing the number of border patrols made by Anbu. Since stealth was their best ability, they would carry the border patrol without the risk of enemy ninjas being suspicious of the village's actions.

Because of this, one person wasn't thrilled. Tall, gray haired and adjusting his glasses, Yakushi Kabuto was positioned behind Konoha's shinobi force for the sole purpose of reporting to his master Orochimaru every bit of information concerning the village's activities. Somehow, deep within his gut, he knew that something out of the ordinary was going on, yet he couldn't place his finger on it. Those who would relay information to him, no longer came and the usual number of ninjas he saw coming and leaving severely diminished since the time of the Chuunin Exams were announced.

The Chuunin exams date was approaching and Orochimaru was planning on using this to his advantage. It was common knowledge that high ranked officials and nobles would come to the village in order to watch the last phase of the Chuunin Exams and as such, Konoha would be conflicted by taking care of the invasion and at the same time protecting the nobles, which since they are inside Konoha's territory, the responsibility of a noble's death would fall on them. Looking at the gates, he noticed two squads of Anbus arriving at the village and immediately heading for the rooftops with speed as their destination was the Hokage's office. No doubt, in Kabuto's mind, things were starting to become suspicious and he would find out more about it, from fear of disappointing his master Orochimaru.

* * *

**===At the Namikaze Household===**

Stirring from his bed, Naruto slowly opened his eyes in order to adjust to the sudden sunlight that dared to interrupt his comfortable sleep. The boy was never used to sleeping late, as he was, constantly, the first one to wake up in his house; for some reason, though, he felt like his head was about to explode. Suddenly, memory came back to him and he remembered how much pain he had to withstand at the cave and wondered where he was. He recognized his room after a few seconds and went to the bathroom to do the same hygienic routine.

However, when he looked at the mirror, he was shocked. Before, his head was at the same height of the mirror in front of him. Now, though, the only thing he could see was his neck down and strangely so, he noticed that his arm muscles were now bigger than before. He didn't know why this happened until he remembered Fenrir-sama's words about his body going through some adjustments because of the ritual.

After taking a nice cold shower, Naruto looked at his closet before picking his shinobi clothes. However, he sighed in dismay as the clothes no longer fitted him. Crap, now I have to go shopping once more, Naruto cursed. He was about to close his closet, before he looked at three stocks of clothes with a note attached to it. It was from his mother as she went ahead and bought some new clothes for him to wear. His mother always had a good fashion sense, he reasoned and this wasn't an exception. The minute, he put his clothes on, he had to smile in appraisal at the choice in clothes. His clothes composed of black Anbu pants with three blue stripes on the thigh region; dark blue fishnet shirt and a black shirt to go with his light green Chuunin vest. The boots were the same black ones that the blond always favored. Once he was downstairs he was surprised his little sister sitting on her specialized chair as his mother fed her with a smile on his face. Little Misao was two years old, baring three and her red hair was already growing near her tiny shoulders.

Just as he approached the table, Misao extended her arms while whispering the word niisan loudly. Kushina turned her head to smile to her son, only for her chin to be sent to the ground. It couldn't be...a week ago, Naruto was smaller than she was, but now not only was he taller but way more muscular than before.

"I...didn't know this ritual would change you so much Naruto-kun. And I see you already tried the clothes I got you, huh?" - Asked Kushina, earning a nod from Naruto as he was caressing his little sister's face.

"I was surprised as well Okaasan; I woke up this morning and I was like this. I appreciate the clothes, I like them a lot. Can't wait to show it to Yuugao-chan" - Said Naruto as he grabbed some milk from the fridge followed by some cereal.

"Well, she will definitely love it, after all she helped me purchase at the store yesterday" - Mentioned Kushina, before seeing Naruto smile as she continued. "The blue stripes on your pants were her idea, because of your elemental affinities being wind and lightning, I think it suited you nicely. What will you do today Naruto-kun?" - Asked Kushina as she wiped Misao's mouth with a napkin, before smiling at the sound the little girl maid just then.

"I think I'll get adjusted to this new body some. I also want to test my chakra control now that it was tampered because of the ritual. I know that it's now bigger, so maybe I should focus on controlling for now, before testing my techniques. Afterward, I was thinking of testing a couple of jutsus I found in the book. Also, I think I'll look for Yuugao-chan and my team to see if they're around, maybe even see Asuma-sensei" - Explained Naruto, earning a smile from his mother as he took the empty bowl of cereal to the dish and left the house.

Once outside, he began a light breathing exercise as he felt his chakra traveling through his chakra pathways, going straight to his legs, before he used it to jump towards a building nearby. He noticed that he jumped higher than the building and cursed the fact that he would have to do chakra control exercises all over again. Certainly, he wouldn't like to overpower his jutsu and it backfires on him. He, then, proceeded to the training grounds where he would be, the entire morning, adjusting to his new chakra.

* * *

**===Training Ground===**

He managed to find one that had a small lake as well as a great number of trees for him go up and down. Once he arrived, the blond went straight to the trees, before he begin to run up and down like a newbie Genin. At first, his feet would slip, but he managed to regain control over his chakra enough for the foot to stick at the tree. He remained like this for the duration of one hour going up and down as he, then, proceeded to be upside down for as long as he could. While doing this, he would concentrate in maintaining the flow of chakra towards his feet so as not to fall.

A while later, he couldn't handle the amount of blood rushing through his head, so he stopped channeling chakra to his feet and started to fall towards the ground, before he flipped his body and began focusing on wind chakra in order to ease the fall. Just as he was about to land on the ground, the wind around him suddenly picked up, severely reducing his speed, thus landing on the ground graciously.

He wiped the sweat of his cheeks, since focusing only on chakra control is a very tiring procedure. Deciding to stop using chakra for a while, Naruto started running around the lake in order to test his new agility. He would dash left and dash right on occasions, while doing back flips, barrel rolls as every acrobatic movement he could think of. His legs were now longer and he was having trouble to land right on the ground, but after much practice, he would be accustomed once more.

Now deciding that some Taijutsu was in order, the blond started to throw multiple punches and kicks, while imagining opponents trying to fight against him. Beginning with a sequence of three punches, each one aiming for a specific part of the body, Naruto, then twisted his body to land a powerful reverse kick on the next opponent's face, before back flipping and landing a powerful roundhouse kick on the other opponent who was coming from behind.

Standing in a fighting position, he began to analyze as three other opponents came in front of him aiming for a straight attack. He, then, dodged the imaginary kick that would land on his chest and evaded another one's punch aiming for his head. He blocked the third one's jab, before landing three punches on their faces. Suddenly grabbing his trench knifes the blond proceeded through the katas he and Asuma created.

Focusing wind chakra through the metal, Naruto began to slash the air consecutive times as he often finished with a spin kick directly to the opponent's head. Right after Naruto finished his katas, he heard some clapping coming from behind as he turned only to greet the smoking Jounin. Sarutobi Asuma was fairly confident about hearing the peculiar sound of his trench knifes cutting through the air, so he figured that Naruto would be close by practicing with it. There's been a long time since they met in order to train for Naruto's Chuunin Exam. Seeing the blond from a distance, the Jounin smirked and went closer to the blond in order to greet him; however as he shorten the distance, Naruto was becoming taller, which was strange considering that it wasn't possible that the chunnin could grow so much in only two years.

He was surprised though, when Naruto turned to greet him and his height was almost the same as Kakashi, which was no easy feat to be at the age of fourteen baring his fifteen.

"Hello there Asuma-sensei, long time no see huh? I was thinking actually of finding you in order to do some catching up" - Greeted Naruto, as he showed a smirk to the older shinobi, who were still mouth-agape that this was the Naruto he trained long ago.

"Wow Naruto, had a grow spurt, I presume. I know it's been a long time, but I wouldn't picture you for a fourteen year old right now. You look as tall as Kakashi already. Care to tell me what happened?" - Asked Asuma, before he saw Naruto scratching the back of his head in a sheepish attitude. He should have guessed that his appearance would bring questions later on.

"It's a long story Asuma-sensei and I want to tell you everything, under the condition of keeping it a secret for now; can't let the information fall on wrong ears, you know the drill. And you can tell Kurenai as well if you want to, later on." - Said Naruto, before Asuma nodded. Naruto, then, proceeded to explain everything from the start; he started telling about the wolf clan and how he is some chosen one from their prophecy to describing the painful procedure that he had to undertake which resulted in him having a growth-spurt.

As Asuma processed the information, his mouth was slowly dropping further and further, until Naruto finished the story and he looked at Naruto as in he grew a second head. He surely expected the boy to share some light and dull stories about the missions he went on, kind like some annoying client while being escorted to his homeland or a couple of thugs, but then Asuma remembered that Naruto managed to make a name of himself, so he just smiled and changed the subject.

"Sound like you went through a lot, then; I'm rather impressed. How are the knives treating you?" - Asked Asuma as he placed his hands inside his pockets and grabbed one cigar, before lightning it.

"So far so good, actually. They new ones are less agile to perform jutsus, but it's just a matter of adapting. And indeed, it covers more ground for defensive maneuvers just like you said Asuma-sensei. I was wondering, though, about how to improve its agility, since, for me at least, the time reaction is a little bit slower than the first one" - Commented Naruto, earning a nod from Asuma as he was opened to suggestions on how to improve his style and maybe teach to the future generations. "You see the angle in which the new knife was made tend to create a lot of resistance in the air when moved; so I was thinking in bending the steel less, thus avoiding the danger of having to overcome the air resistance as well as position the knife to block the enemy's attack" - Explained Naruto, before Asuma moved to a thinking pose.

"The forger had already taken this to consideration, I'm afraid, well at least that's what he said. I've never taken into account such a possibility. The next time I see the man, I'll talk to him about it. In the mean time, though, I think I can solve your problem, Naruto-kun. Correct if I'm wrong, but you're not moving the knives in a diagonal sense, but rather either vertically or horizontally, am I right?" - Asked Asuma, earning a confused nod from Naruto, before Asuma explained. "By moving the steel diagonally, the air resistance won't affect the knife's movement, whereas when you move it vertically, more often or not, you'd have to battle the air and as you said, it's not a good thing to do once in the midst of battle"

Hearing the explanation, Naruto, then looked at the way he was holding the knives and smiled at his sensei. He, then, started one of the Katas now with a different grip, now managing to swing them much faster and without much resistance.

"Just by seeing it, I could tell you improved because of the different grip. I'm glad that you managed to solve this doubt before hand, Naruto. I wouldn't like to say what could happen to you if the enemy capitalized on this weakness" - Smiled Asuma as he saw Naruto's eyes leave his sockets for a while. No doubt, it would be a disaster, Naruto concluded.

"I guess luck was on my side, then" - Said Naruto as he was contemplating all the fights he had so far and in all of them he could remember that moving a second too late would be his end. Asuma, meanwhile, let the boy ponder about this in silence for a while. It was indeed lucky that he was able to overcome the enemies without getting hurt or worse.

"Listen Naruto, I'm late to meet with my team; they are training for the Chuunin exams. Practice more until you becomes familiarized with the style once more and let me know if you need any more work with it, okay?" - Said Asuma, earning a nod from Naruto before he said to give Shikamaru his best regards.

Once more alone and not wondering anymore about the knife issue, Naruto placed his trench knives inside the respective holster strapped to his waist and took a sit on the ground for some meditation exercises. Accustoming with his body would come out eventually as he practiced against his bunshins; the critical point was now to control his chakra. Closing his eyes, he began to canalize his chakra in maintaining the flow of lightning chakra around his body, thus generating an electric current around his body. By adapting himself once more with his respective affinities, the blond would be better adjusted to increase the power of the jutsus he used in battle. Suddenly, like a power switch, the electric current began to envelop his body as it traveled through his chest, stomach, belly and bended legs. He could feel the agitated chakra traveling through his chakra coils, but for this technique to work, he had to withstand a steady usage of chakra.

After fifteen minutes, though, it proved too much for him to hold as he relinquished control over his chakra and started breathing hard. It was already past lunch time and Naruto's stomach was growling like crazy because of the over usage of chakra in one go. However, Naruto knew that this only happened because he was using way more energy than needed. Seeing that his house was near from the training ground, he decided to stop by for a quick lunch, before he was back already for more training. He wanted to train a new technique he thought about after reading about wind chakra molding, but getting adjusted to the new source of chakra was his priority at the moment. Now, losing all his clothes, except his boxers, so as not to get wet, Naruto started to walk on water. He reasoned, during lunch, that he was one exercise short from completely returning his chakra control to before the ritual. And like the tree climbing exercise, water walking was pretty hard to manage, often resulting in losing his grip and falling on the river.

Eventually, though, he did get the hang of it, but that only happened when the sun was about to set, meaning the end of his training for the day. He was currently holding on the ram seal for better chakra molding, until he was distracted.

"You know, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you're trying to call attention to yourself dressing up like that" - Commented Anko, earning Naruto's attention, but his chakra concentration was totally ruined which resulted in him falling on the water. He, then, appeared out of the water, albeit only his eye region as he stared daggers at his sensei for ruining everything. It didn't help the situation when he saw the Jounin hanging on her stomach from laughing so hard. Muttering a few cursed words below the water surface, Naruto then went out of the river as he reached for his clothes, while looking at his sensei with a frown. The woman always had a knack for joking around.

"Geez Naruto, I was hoping in visiting my student, the ninjutsu genius and I, instead, see you just water walking, what gives?" - Asked Anko as she tried to control her urges. _Damn, I know I've seen him since he was just a gaki, but damn. Yuugao did told me he was different now, but she wasn't giving him justice....or...oh I get it...she lured us to believe that Naruto's change wasn't much so no one would come and try taking him away from her...sneaky devil Yuugao-chan._

"Because of some events that happened, I had to get reacquainted with my chakra control Anko-sensei. I was doing fine until you interrupted me, though" - Mumbled Naruto, earning a snicker from the trench coat jounin.

"What can I say? Until you become Jounin, I'm your sensei and acting in a way to force a mistake out of you is one of my hobbies. Better here than in the field, at least. Yuugao-chan told me about your little ritual with the wolves; how are you feeling?" - Asked Anko, as she saw Naruto put on his new clothes and his boots.

"I'm alright, although I didn't want to go through with these chakra control exercises any longer. They are kind of annoying to perform and time demanding. Nevertheless, I feel that by this time tomorrow, I'll be back into shape. So, tell me Anko-sensei, are you interested in having some dinner and catching up..." - Asked Naruto, earning a nod followed by a twisted smile formed on her lips, thus warning about Anko's antics.

"Well, Naruto-kun, I'm flattered you'd ask me out, but Yuugao-chan wouldn't appreciate, so would my Iruka-kun" - Said Anko with a changed voice, much to Naruto's amusement, since this happens to be a hobby he enjoyed.

"There is no problem in taking my sensei out for dinner, the last time I checked; but since you feel this way, I guess I'll eat a lot of dango sticks all by myself" - Said Naruto as he gave his back to his sensei, as he continued talking. "Just imagine those sweet...."

Naruto knew his sensei to be addicted to the type of food, but he didn't know that she would salivate just by using her imagination. He did laugh at how easy it was to bribe Anko.

* * *

**===At the Dango Shop===**

It didn't take long to reach the restaurant since Anko pretty much dragged her student. Right now, Anko was holding three dango sticks in each hand, while, slowly, savoring one by one. Meanwhile, student and sensei discussed about a lot of topics, being which, the blond's training and what expectation his father had reserved for him for keeping inside the village training. Anko could only theorize that the Yondaime wanted his son to get adjusted to the new power, a thought that was followed by Naruto. However, she knew, deep inside her head, about a second motive. Stories about the details regarding Konoha's defensive mechanism only reached Jounin's ears so far, since they would be responsible for guiding the Chuunin when the time came. Thus giving time for Naruto to further increase his skills, he would prove to be a better asset for Konoha in times of battle against the snake.

"So I was telling the truth about you being a ninjutsu genius, so I was hoping of meeting you to see about some new jutsu you have up your sleeve, care to satisfy your sensei's curiosity?" – Asked Anko as she ingested three dangos in one go. Naruto nodded and began explaining about his new ideas; well at least he considered it his ideas. The book gave him the general idea of molding wind chakra, but the rest it was up to his creativity.

"Since I understood the theory behind wind chakra molding, I've been coming up with ideas regarding certain formats. For instance, my Kaze no Yaiba technique consists of transforming wind chakra for cutting purposes, so I was thinking in uniting both the cutting ability of wind chakra added with the theory behind wind chakra molding" – Explained Naruto, while seeing Anko quirk her eyebrow and her lips at the blond's both knowledge and creativity with ninjutsu. She knew, now, the right person to discuss about the ninja art.

"So what shape are you considering, then? The theory is credible, but the number of possible shapes and formats are very limited" – Asked Anko, earning a nod from Naruto as he drunk some tea.

"A disk…actually lots of them like the **Baisuu Kaze no Yaiba** (Multiple Wind Sword Jutsu) Technique" – Smiled Naruto, which was mirrored by Anko as she could feel the man's excitement; actually she was beginning to be excitement in anticipation. Upon the creation of the Wind Dragon Technique, which by the way, was one of the jutsu that demonstrated why Fuuton was such a dangerous element to go against, she was ecstatic about it and the fact that it was her student who managed to create it, it was even better. Everyone just couldn't hear anymore of the trench coat Jounin bragging about being Naruto's Jounin-sensei.

"I just hope you'll show me once you manage to finalize the technique, okay or I will send my little pet to wake you up the day afterwards, you do remember her, right?" – Asked Anko with that devious smile as she got up from the counter and was about to leave when she heard Naruto snort, then she turned to see her student.

"I prefer satisfying your curiosity with my jutsus anytime, its way better than having to wake up with a snake wanting to craw up my sleeve. By the way, though, by you leaving out of a sudden, you're expecting me to cover the bill?" – Asked Naruto. He got his answer as Anko suddenly vanished within a shunshin. _Huh, figured…well, I guess this one is on me, then. _– Thought Naruto as he placed some money on the counter before leaving the dango stand. Konoha streets were filled with people and the weather was nice, albeit a bit cold considering that they were through spring right now. So, Naruto took some time to just wander around the village his father protects every day. People that knew him greeted him as they passed and Naruto waved at them in a educated manner.

Looking up, his shinobi senses caught sight of four blurs, which indicated that Anbus were busy scouting around the village. That alone made Naruto smile, but it wasn't because he felt Konoha was safe with the masked individuals flying around. Rather the purple haired cat masked Anbu that filled his heart with joy every time. Naruto wanted to talk to her a bit, but seeing as she was on duty, the meeting would have to be postponed for the time being. Resting his hands on pockets, Naruto went straight to his house where he believed his father would already be home.

* * *

**===At the Namikaze Compound===**

As soon as Naruto entered his house, he saw his family joined on the living room. His mother was feeding little Misao some milk and his father was reading the newspaper. It took little to no time for the older blond to settle the newspaper down and look at his son, who a couple days ago, had the equivalent height of a teenager, now he easily bared Kakashi's . Minato liked to keep tabs with the ninja under his care, so he received daily reports of those using the training grounds; therefore he knew firsthand what his son did the whole day.

The Yondaime Hokage wondered why Naruto would worry about reeducating his body all over again, but he didn't seek to question the boy's reason. Minato wasn't fully aware of the changes that his son went through. Nevertheless, he was fairly confident in his son's abilities to create techniques that would benefit Konoha in the future. Techniques like the Wind Dragon and the Flight of the Falcon were rather impressive to say the least and the Hokage was certain that his son was up to something entirely new this time.

He could feel it just by looking at him.

"Hello there son, I've heard you had a very productive day, today. Why don't you join with your old man and tell me about it" - Smiled Minato as he placed the newspaper on the table in front of the couch where he was seating on. Naruto smiled as well and approached near his father, before seating next to him, while explaining about his reeducation mission as well as the technique he was thinking of creating. Kushina, in the mean time, took a glance at the two blonds chatting about ninja techniques and she couldn't help but wonder how Naruto grew up to be the exact replica of his father.

Because of the ritual, Naruto's muscles were more pronounced, but the height, the facial expressions, he was very much alike his father and the woman couldn't help but wonder if the little bundle of red head joy currently sleeping inside her crib would grow up to be an exact replica of her mother. Surely, it would be a weird family, Kushina mused. One could imagine confusing the children with the parents and vice-versa.

Back to Naruto and Minato, the younger one finished explaining about his theory regarding his new technique called **Fuuton Tajuu Kazedisuku **(Wind Release: Multiple Wind Disk Jutsu) and his father was showing a lot of enthusiasm about the theory behind the technique. Surely, combining the cutting ability of wind chakra with Naruto's ability to mold the wind chakra as well, it could prove to be a troublesome technique for enemies to deal with. And all that combined with Naruto's superior chakra capacity, Minato had no doubt his son could use it as a large scale attack.

"At least the theory is already covered, all I have to do now is practice with it, until I am able to shape the wind into multiple disks. Maybe tomorrow or the day after, I'll be able to fully utilize my chakra and then using the technique will be much easier. Right now, though, I'm just focused on chakra control and understanding how my chakra flows through the chakra pathways" - Explained Naruto, earning a smile from Minato.

"I have no doubt you'll succeed and when you do, I'd like a demonstration. Now, how are you with the Rasengan?" - Asked Minato, before smirking once he saw his son showing a shocked face. Naruto for his part didn't know his father was aware he was attempting the Swirling Ball technique.

"How did you know, I was practicing the Rasengan? The only person who knows is Neji and....oh now I get it" - Said Naruto as he looked at Kushina with a smirk, knowing that she ended up telling him about it, whereas it would've been a secret. The woman for his part fainted an innocent look, but she was caught nonetheless.

"I just figured your father would be proud to see his son following his footsteps. Who knows, maybe, you could finish the technique" - Explained Kushina, earning a nod in appraisal from Minato. Adding elemental manipulation to the swirling ball was a feat he was due to achieve. He already made some attempts by adding lightning chakra to the ball, but he just couldn't maintain the rotation while at the same time adding the element. To him, it was like looking left and right at the same time, in other words, impossible.

"One would think that the technique is complete and the truth is that, somewhat, it is finished. But I created the technique with the intention of adding element to it in the future. So far, though, I have not succeeded. Maybe you could think of something with that creativity of yours my son. How far are you with the technique?" - Asked Minato, before he saw Naruto stretching his arm and opening his palm, before focusing on creating the swirling ball technique. The energy, suddenly, appeared and the ball was formed, however just like before, the ball dissipated after five seconds.

"The third stage is the problem, Otousan. I can't contain the energy for too long. Hopefully, by the end of my training, I'll be able to finalize the technique" - Explained Naruto, earning a nod from Minato.

"Surely, the third stage is tough, if I recall both your godfather and Kakashi took a long while to be able to contain the swirling ball of energy. You're on the right track, though, after a lot of practice, you'll able to complete it. Now, I bet you're hungry son, I know I do. Kushina-chan, what we have for today?" - Asked Minato, before they appeared at the kitchen in order to savor some yakisoba served with steamy vegetables. Half an hour later, the entire bow of the paste soon vanished courtesy of two blonds. After cleaning everything, it was time for everyone to sleep.

* * *

**===At Naruto's room===**

After some quick change in clothes, Naruto was already on his bed, snoring. Out of a sudden, though, he was staring at the moon on top of the mountain with Fenrir by his side.

"**I can see our blood did wonders for your chakra and physique Naruto. Surely, your chakra related techniques will be greatly improved as well. How are you feeling?" **- Asked Fenrir as he never took his eyes off the moon.

"I'm alright, I just had to get adjusted to this new body, though, but nothing that a day or two I can't fix. So, other than ask about my well-being, why did you call me here?" - Questioned Naruto, not at all happy to be interrupted in his sleep.

"**Huh, it seems you're a little impatient since last time. Well, yes I didn't call you here just to ask how you are; but rather to show you an important aspect that is now linked to your blood. You see Naruto, now that you have wolf blood stored inside your veins, you could uphold some of our characteristics. When the Full Moon is up, you'll have the ability to transform into a superior being, increasing speed, strength and chakra" **- Explained Fenrir, as Naruto looked at him while interpreting the wolf's words.

Suddenly an image appeared in front of them and Naruto could see a tall individual, black hair, black eyes, wearing what looked to be a primitive outfit made of fur. Out of the blue, the full moon appeared and the man was suddenly enveloped by a strange red substance, before he suddenly transformed into a six-foot werewolf.

"**This man happened to be the last one to carry our blood almost two thousand years ago and the transformation you see before you is actually one of our jutsus called Ookamijutsu Urufu Henshin **(Wolf Clan Jutsu: Wolf Transformation Jutsu). **You don't need any hand seals to perform, but rather just focus on your chakra, upon the full moon, and the transformation will manifest. Don't worry about accidentally transforming, because in order to do it, your mind would have to be focused in that regard. If you happen to use chakra for other purposes, it won't happen"** - Explained Fenrir as he watched the last one tearing his enemies apart with his claws and superior speed.

Naruto for his part was shocked to see all this. He was even more shocked to know that he could do it as well. The problem was that the power was too grand for him to cope with; how could he use it for the better good? The blond was at a loss of what to do until he noticed the wolf about to speak.

"**You don't need to worry about coping with this power; after all you're the chosen one, Naruto. You may have the power, but it will be up to you to decide what to do with it. We wolves care deeply for our pack and this sentiment is what drives you to become stronger. When in doubt, think about those you protect. One thing I know is that once you make a decision in regards to those you protect, you're never wrong. Nevertheless, it's somewhat wise to slowly cope with the power granted to you, so for now, this ability will serve for life and death situations"** - Explained Fenrir, as Naruto just stood there eyes fixed on Tsukyomi. He should've known by now that he couldn't keep anything secret from the wolf, but he understood his words, in the end.

* * *

**===Three days later===**

The sun decided to send all his might today, hence why few people decided to be on the streets, rather jumping straight on the many river and lakes throughout the village. Because of Minato's plans regarding the future invasion, the shinobis would spend their days training to hone their skills, however because of the weather; the majority of them would simply train near the water.

However one blond shinobi wasn't bordered by the scorching temperature and that was Namikaze Naruto. In order to speed his adaptation, the blond chose to camp near training ground where he trained non-stop, whether it was day or night. The boy would summon Kage Bunshin to practice Taijutsu, he would go up and down the tree, walk on water as many times as he could in order to better control his chakra.

Right now, Naruto was holding the tiger seal while focusing on wind chakra around him. By manipulating the wind around him, he was creating a little typhoon around him as well, thus not being bothered by the hot temperature. Last night, Naruto noticed that he could withstand the continuous usage of chakra for longer periods, hence why now he was trying to use just the bare necessary to maintain the typhoon. By now, his elemental chakra was already adapted and he was sure that any elemental technique would be effective.

Stopping the flow of wind chakra, Naruto now began a different series of hand seals before gathering wind through his lungs.

_**Fuuton Daitoppa **__(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu)_

Naruto, then, exhaled the gathered air, before he focused some chakra in order to expand the gust of wind, all this taking only seconds to finish. As a result, he managed to see the gust of wind leveling a grass field nearby. Seconds after, the blond initiated another sequence of hand seals for a different technique in order to fully test his chakra. As he finished the last one, his hands started to sparkle with electricity, before he extended them, thus expelling millions and millions of lightning sparks.

_**Raiton Denkougun **__(Lightning Release: Lightning Force Jutsu)_

Once satisfied with his chakra, Naruto now turned to the most important part of his training, his new wind technique. Molding his chakra to the shape of a disk was one thing and while attainable, it was a different manner to add the slicing capabilities of wind chakra. However, he wasn't keen on giving up so soon and the wind dragon technique was a testament of it. Little did he know, though, that one person was watching him from afar. One would believe it was Uchiha Itachi from the pair of Sharingan swirling, but the truth was that it was his little brother Sasuke. For years, now, his brother had been obsessed with fighting against this Naruto character, saying that he always managed to surprise everyone with his strong techniques. So, the Uchiha prick concluded that he would see first hand this Naruto and try to copy some techniques to incorporate in his arsenal for the Chuunin Exams later on.

Just like any Uchiha, he had a fire affinity, however with time, he found out a second affinity for lightning as well. And the fact that Naruto has it as well, he hoped to copy some lightning jutsus from him, since Kakashi-sensei wouldn't let him copy his, at least not right now. When the information of Naruto's jutsu was copied by the Sharingan, Sasuke had the decency to gasp at the sheer amount of chakra needed for the technique. The Uchiha saw Naruto doing a new sequence of hand seals and was about to copy them when someone was behind him.

"Foolish little brother, what are you doing here?" - Asked Itachi as he appeared on his Anbu attire. He actually knew about Sasuke's desire to watch Naruto's techniques with the Sharingan just like any stupid Uchiha who believes that their eyes were their salvation. "Just because you possess the Sharingan, doesn't give you the right to steal techniques from allies"- Scolded Itachi, earning a snort in reply from his little brother.

"Stop bothering me, niisan. I just want some lightning jutsus to incorporate in my arsenal, that's all" - Said Sasuke, before he took a look at the blond only to see wind chakra being used this time.

"If you aim to beat him in the future, then It won't matter if you copy his lightning techniques, he'll just use wind techniques and it's your end. The only hope you have against him is using Katon ninjutsu, which wins over his Fuuton" - Explained Itachi, before seeing his little brother frown in dismay. Little did Sasuke know, though, that Naruto had knowledge of a third element and Itachi wouldn't lose the opportunity to see his little brother stepping down from his high heels. Seeing as he wouldn't get anything good out of Naruto, the Uchiha brothers left the vicinity. Back to Naruto, he would dictate the remaining day to focus on his technique.

* * *

**===the Hokage's Office===**

Documents, scrolls, people barging in for doubts they could solve themselves without needing to hear the Hokage; Minato swore if anyone entered his office to bother him with stupid things, he would shove a Rasengan right on the chest. He knew damn well the reason for the frantic movement inside his office, but that didn't mean he couldn't voice his frustration every now and then. The Chuunin Exams was about to begin in one week, so Minato not only had to worry about the exam itself, but also watching closely for any invasion attempts until the last phase of the exams ended.

His desk was filled with scrolls pertaining information about the exam, regarding its participants, the teams that were about to participate, the names of the proctors, which this time would be composed of only Jounin, since Minato feared that Orochimaru may place spies amongst the many Genin that would arrive during the week. He, then, sorted everything out and got up from his chair before looking down the village from the window.

_This Chuunin Exam will attract a lot of influential people, I'm afraid. From Konoha, all of the village's clans heirs will be participating, meaning that people will want to look at Mikoto's youngest son Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hiashi's daughter Hinata, among others like Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. No doubt, this exam won't be like the others. - _Thought Minato as he sensed a major shift in the wind, before a toad appeared on top of his desk.

Suddenly, the toad opened his mouth and none other than Jiraiya appeared out of it.

"Greetings Jiraiya-sensei, the Chuunin Exams will start in a week, are the toads ready to begin the operation?" - Asked Minato, before seeing a satisfying grin on Jiraiya's face.

"As we speak, the toads are now scouting the further regions from the village walls. Any strange movement will be communicated to me" - Reported the perverted sannin, earning a nod from Minato as he turned to the window once more. Things were going just as he planned so far, Minato thought. He just hoped that when the time came, Konoha would emerge victorious once more.

* * *

_AN: That's about it. Next chapter, the Chuunin Exams will commence, however I will focus less on the actual exam and focus more of the village's activities in the mean time. This way, the readers won't be caught reading the same stuff over and over again and, instead, get to see Minato's plan coming to fruition. _

_See ya then._


	23. Chunnin Exams Arc Part I

**Chapter 23 – Chunnin Exams Arc Part I**

**Beta: Dreetje**

* * *

It was just like any other day in Iwagakure as clouds would close the sky, not allowing any ray of sunshine to warm the village citizens. However, the people of Iwagakure were already accustomed to the stifling temperature as they walked throughout the rather large village streets. Approaching the city's hard iron gates, a team from Sunagakure arrived followed by what appeared to be the Kazekage judging by the white robes and blue hat. Once they arrived, the two Chuunin near the gates bowed in respect for the imposing figure of the Wind Shadow whose both flanks were covered by Sunagakure's finest Jounin available. Suddenly, three Rock Anbus appeared in front of the Kage and his subordinates, before escorting them towards the place where the Tsushikage would meet him. The two Chuunin looked at one another, before getting up from the reverence as they looked at the Kazekage's back.

"I guess it's time for the invasion, then huh Makaze?" - Smiled one of them.

Konoha's invasion was no mystery to Iwa shinobi as the Tsushikage made abundantly clear to everyone since he started planning the invasion along with Sunagakure. They all knew about the reason behind the wind hidden village joining the invasion and while not served as a valid reason to invade, it surely played Iwa's favor. The fact that the Wind Daimyou wasn't sending Ninja missions to Suna but instead choosing Konoha, was enough for the Kazekage and he pretty much demanded that something was done against the Leaf.

Iwa, however, didn't need a reason outside of pure revenge against the **Konoha no Kiroi Senko** (Yellow Flash) for their brutal defeat at the last Great Ninja War. Also, the man's son **Konoha no Kazeryuu **(Wind Dragon) managed to strike a nerve on Iwa's forces making the whole objective of this invasion the capture of least one of them alive and execute him in front of everyone. However, whereas Iwa thought they were manipulating Suna into their bidding, actually it was the other way around as a certain snake was behind the entire thing...

* * *

**===Inside a hotel two miles away from Konoha===**

Not even a little bit aware of dark clouds heading towards Konoha, Naruto and Yuugao were enjoying one of the much appreciated vacations for a shinobi in a hot spring Inn a couple miles away from the hidden village. The Yondaime Hokage, though, was hesitant to allow the vacation at first, but considering the fact that these two would play a vital role in protecting the village in the upcoming days, a couple of days of vacation wouldn't be a totally bad thing. Especially since both Naruto and Yuugao were on missions, one after another for quite a while.

The happy couple was inside their room as they ordered breakfast inside. However, the food was left untouched on the room table as they were more concerned in consuming their love for one another than to fill their stomach. Naruto was on top of Yuugao kissing her madly while Yuugao's arms were massaging the blond's wide back and shoulders in utmost fascination of his defined body. Both were happy with the tender moment they were sharing, especially because right now no one would bother any of them for a mission or some important errand.

"You know...you look even more beautiful when illuminated by the sunlight Yuugao-chan..."

"Not as beautiful as how the sun turns your hair to bright gold, Naruto-kun..."

Naruto and Yuugao maintained the kiss as the blond's hands would slowly massage the gorgeous woman's curves trying to feel every bit of her smooth skin. Yuugao for her part was just satisfied with the blond being on top of her like this...she loved the feeling of her lover being on top of her as if he was protecting her while keeping her naked body warm. Plus the feeling was so enticing that the woman wanted to remain like this for a long time. Suddenly, Naruto broke the kissing and then proceeded to the woman's neck as he started licking it with utmost efficiency, gaining a slight moan in delight from his lover.

"Oh...Naru-kun, that tongue of yours is quite dangerous..."

"You want me to stop then? I don't think so...I can feel you crave for it"

"Of course you silly...oh yeah"

By now, Yuugao released all her inhibitions as Naruto decided to, slowly but surely, lick her well-rounded chest while massaging the other one with his free hand, earning a delightful moan from the woman who, in the meanwhile, was caressing Naruto's golden hair, feeling entranced by his smooth and yet thick hair. Also the fact that Naruto's eyes were focused on hers, it served to increase the passion of the act tenfold.

"I love it when you bite your lips like that Yuugao-chan..."

The woman smiled at the blond's words and just to tease him, did it like he said once more, causing the blond's mind to go ballistic as she moved once more downstairs, now to her well-toned stomach.

_There he goes with that tongue of his once more, I....just can't resist such a thing. The further he goes south the further I lose my control over my own urges. It doesn't matter...I love it when he's in control...oh yes Naru-kun, do with me as you want..._

Out of a sudden, though, her breath was cut short as Naruto stopped his descent and right in front of her pussy, before licking it gently, much to Yuugao's excitement. Actually, excitement would be undermining her feelings right now...a proper word or phrase would be 'screaming her brains out and demanding him never to stop'. A while later and Naruto was still on the task as Yuugao was clutching the bed sheets without any sort of control over her urges. Naruto was the only one able to do that to her and she was becoming addicted to this sort of thing. Suddenly, her inner walls started to surrender under the pressure and she started to hyperventilate in total bliss as Naruto's tongue was already inside her.

Then, the air escaped her throat as she grabbed his hair with utmost intensity, while forcing his head to attempt even further inside her inner walls.

"Oh yeah Naru-kun, please don't stop...ah sweet Kami..."

Without even warning, she let out an orgasm right in the blond's mouth, thus getting a taste of her liquid. The woman suddenly jerked her head on the pillow as she just got out of the greatest ride of her life. Naruto was on top of her once more as he kissed her passionately.

"Don't rest yet my love...there is much more to come..."

"Don't worry; it's you inside me I crave for the most right now Naruto-kun..."

A smile of assurance appeared in Naruto's mouth as if he wanted to show that she was safe with him, but Yuugao was already certain about it, since she didn't take too long to widen her legs so that Naruto's member could slid inside without trouble. The only problem was that Yuugao had yet to make love to Naruto after the transformation, so a sudden pain struck her as Naruto trusted his member inside with slight force. Naruto felt it instantly and become worried about his girlfriend. Yuugao on the other hand smiled as the pain was slowly dissipating, giving room to utter pleasure as her inner walls were expanding to accommodate the blond's thick member inside. Naruto, then, stopped with the movement, as he landed a deep kiss on her lips while maintaining it inside for Yuugao to get used to the feeling.

"Oh sweet Kami, your cock is so good Naruto-kun, don't worry about it...it doesn't hurt any more"

The blond nodded as he continued the pace once more as he looked at Yuugao's face contorting in pure pleasure. Afterward, both of them just surrender to their hormones as the movement gained both speed and strength, locking them in perfect union as they happily consummated their love for one another. Suddenly, Naruto's dick started pulsing inside Yuugao, indicating that he was short of releasing inside of Yuugao any minute now. However, the woman didn't want him to take it out just yet as she knew the exact moment of his orgasm. Naruto trusted his girlfriend to this point, so he kept on going, fully intent on pleasuring her the most as her screams echoed throughout the room.

As the signal arrived, Yuugao herself took his cock out of her and started sucking it as the blond's face started contorting in total bliss. Suddenly, the orgasm came and his dick was shooting loads and loads of hot liquid down her throat. Afterward, both of them just lied next to the other, while looking at each other's face, smiling at the company. From the act, their bodies carved for food...luckily for them, though, the breakfast cart was right in front of them as Naruto got up and served her breakfast in bed.

* * *

**===Iwagakure===**

The Suna delegation walked around for a bit until they arrived in front of what appeared to be a door leading to a cave underground. The Kazekage considered the man he was about to meet very carefully, because of this. He knew that the Tsushikage's Office was located at least ten miles away from their position, so for him to meet at a secluded location like this, spoke highly of the man's paranoia regarding possible assassination attempts.

After the two doors opened, the Anbu entered first along with the Suna delegation. The light inside was almost nonexistent, until the doors were closed...when suddenly seals along the walls started glowing, leading the way to the Tsushikage's hidden meeting area. As they calmly proceeded down the stairwell, the Kazekage was considering the meeting at hand. All the previous times he had communicated with the Earth Shadow was via message scroll. It the Tsushikage was this paranoid, clearly it wouldn't take long for him to identify the Kazekage's identity and that would ruin the entire plan he spent months scheming.

Ten minutes later, the group stopped in front of what appeared to be a huge boulder and it was blocking some entrance of sorts. Suddenly, one of the Anbus began a long series of hand seals, before focusing Doton type chakra on the boulder, before the obstacle rolled away; showing an intricate meeting area with a mahogany desk and a man seating behind....old man was the better word.

"Tsushikage-sama, Kazekage-sama is here for the meeting"

Both Anbus kneeled on the ground, before they saw the Earth Shadow nod, before relieving them from duty for now. The Anbus suddenly sank in the ground, leaving the place. The Kazekage always wondered about different versions of the **Shunshin no Jutsu** (Body Flicker Jutsu), before the Tsushikage appeared in front of him....

"It's finally nice to meet your acquaintance Kazekage-dono, please sit down so we may begin"

The Tsushikage could be better described as an old midget with thick nose and wrinkles all over in face in the Wind Shadow's opinion, but as the position itself shows, he wouldn't be in this position if the man wasn't at least the strongest ninja in the village as Iwagakure's method for Kage choosing goes to whoever challenges the current one.

"I was hoping, actually, to meet you in person Tsushikage-dono, but like all kages before me, paperwork keeps me considerably occupied"

The old man grinned at the introduction since paperwork was every Kage's nightmare.

"Surely, you could say that's an enemy no Kage can beat, wouldn't you say Kazekage-dono, please sit down"

As all the pleasantries were over, both Kages took a sit and the meeting began. The Kazekage found it humorous that the Earth Shadow managed to keep eye level with him, which meant that the little guy must have some sort of cushion that he was seating on.

"Since I called you here, it's only fair to begin. The final preparations for the invasion are already under way with three of my teams already dispatched to Konoha as we speak. Our spies informed that the Kazeryuu is currently in an Inn a few miles away from Konoha and won't be back for another two days, which gives my boys, a fair time to deal with him for good. Surely, that will leave a mark on Kiroi Senko's conscience. The other two teams will be disguised as genins for the Chuunin Exams, they will be responsible for gathering information on Konoha's preparations for the Exams as well as gauge information on their elite shinobi"

The Kazekage grinned like a maniac because how much further along the operation was going and couldn't help but praise his own cunning skills in being able to fool both villages into his bidding. _Huh, when the fool Tsushikage realizes the truth, it will be too late...for Suna as well. _

"Good to hear Tsushikage-dono. My army is in position to move at any time. I trust that you agree with me that the best moment of attack is the moment of the Third Phase of the Chuunin Exams in Konoha...That fool Yondaime will be more focused in protecting the nobles, meaning that our forces will have an open village to tear apart"

"I concur Kazekage-dono. However, I won't be present at the Exams like you plan to and the reason is that the moment I step foot in Konoha, they will be wary of us...It's better for me to remain here so that the surprise attack remains as such"

The Kazekage didn't care at about the little guy's presence or not. All he wanted was that Konoha would burn to the ground, which meant that he needed quantity, not quality.

"No need for worries Tsushikage-dono, The Yondaime Hokage, maybe a fool, but stupid he's not. It's rare that two kages appear at the Chuunin Exams and certainly, if the two of us shows up, they will be wary the moment we accept their invitation. I believe your Jounins will be more than adequate to fill in the necessary orders. Now can I count on you to take care of the Kazeryuu? He has proven time and time again that he's a threat and with his wide-scale jutsus, certainly the battle wouldn't swing in our favor" - Kazekage asked.

The look of irritation in the Tsushikage's face ended up betraying his aloof demeanor. Certainly, the Namikazes have been an enemy of Iwa since the Last Great War and since then, the only part who lost was Iwa's countless deaths due to both **Kiroi Senko** and **Kazeryuu**'s skills. If there was one thing he would do as Tsushikage was to take down at least one of those two.

"Don't worry about it Kazekage-dono, the teams I sent have yet to fail on me. They'll get the job done"

The Wind Shadow could practically feel the Earth Shadow's eagerness to rid the Earth Hidden Village of the Namikaze for good. He knew how many deaths were caused by the Yondaime and how many by the man's son, which was yet another trick up his sleeve in convincing Iwa to join the invasion next to Sunagakure and Otogakure. Actually the fact that the Tsushikage did little to worry about the new village joining in the invasion, allowed the true perpetrator behind this entire scheme to smirk from ear to ear. The plan he devised was flawless and certainly Konoha will fall for sure.

* * *

**===At the Inn===**

It was already night time and both Naruto and Yuugao was asleep in their room, after spending some alone time at the room's bath tub. Both of them were displaying a relaxed posture since it was clear both of them really needed to vent some energy.

However, as expected when on vacation, they weren't expecting anyone to show up uninvited and that's what the Tsushikage was hoping for as he sent a team of his best assassins to do the job of killing Naruto. They were five in total and right now, two were in position near the balcony while one was on the roof. The last two would serve as backup in case a swift approach fails. The two men from the balcony took a closer look inside the room and noticed their target next to a purple haired woman. Suddenly, one of the two picked up a dart launcher which was armed with Iwa's most effective poison. Iwa wanted a clean kill, so as not to link anything to the hidden village.

Confident that it would be an easy target, the one with the dart launcher aimed directly at Naruto's jugular so that the poison could act faster, before he pulled the trigger. There was barely any noise as the dart was propelled by the weapon and it flew in direction of their target, until it hit the bull's eye. The man was already smirking even before the dart hit, simply because he was already imagining his reward back in Iwa when he appears with the great Kazeryuu's head on a silver platter. He threw one at the woman as well and, just like Naruto, it hit the jugular, killing her as well.

As the man jumped at the bed in order to perform a clean cut on Naruto's head, he was surprised when the bodies suddenly disappeared and in its position, were two white rocks from the swimming pool that was in front of the room. The assassin immediately left the room and appeared by his comrades' side that was facing both Naruto and Yuugao in front of him, dressed in sleeping clothes.

Instantly, all five of the Iwa group stood against Naruto and Yuugao and they were wondering how the hell they sensed Iwa's presence.

"Damn you Kazeryuu, how did you two know we were here?" - The leader asked, much to the blond's snarl at being interrupted in his vacation.

"That weapon of yours is quite loud, we were aware of your position when you loaded it, giving us plenty of time to focus our chakra to replace our bodies with the rocks. Now, once more Iwa wants my head; this has got to stop..."

In actuality, Naruto was cursing his luck right now. It was from sheer luck that both had their weapons near hands reach, when sleeping. However, they were five enemies and all of them Jounin no doubt. Naruto looked at his lover and saw that she was already in position with her sword drawn, waiting for an attack.

"Yuugao-chan, let's move this fight to another place. If we fight here, people will get hurt for sure..."

The woman agreed with her boyfriend's assessment, before the two vanished instantly, surprising the Iwa platoon for a moment. It didn't take long, however, for the tracker of the group to sense their chakra and follow suit. After a moment, the five shinobis landed in a clearing a few miles northeast of the place, closer to the Leaf Village, in case they needed to flee.

"You can't escape now Kazeryuu, you and your little bitch die here, that I assure you"

There were very few things that scared the blond and that were temperamental kunoichi. Tenten could be scary as hell when people calls her that way and Naruto learned that Yuugao doesn't take it too kindly as well, but the reaction between girls are different and that the reason why Naruto's scared of his girlfriend. While Tenten becomes ravaging mad and attacks the enemy blinded with rage, Yuugao just display a smile that rivals Orochimaru, before the opponent loses his head in speeds that rivals no one.

Yuugao suddenly focused chakra to her feet and charged the man who dared calling her by that name, much to his surprise as he tried to dodge the incoming sword attack aiming his neck. However, he wouldn't make in time, so one of the team threw a kunai at Yuugao, who managed to evade and do some back-flip before landing next to Naruto.

The opponent was smirking at the woman as in taunting her for the failed attack, but he suddenly lost his vocal cords as he sensed a small cut only inches away from his jugular, meaning that a second later, he would be dead. Suddenly, Naruto commenced with hand seals on his own, before he began gathering wind in front of him, much to Iwa's tension, since they were well aware of his skills with wind.

_**Fuuton Baisuu Kaze no Yaiba **__(Wind Release: Multiple Wind Swords Jutsu)_

The speed of the swords were unforeseeable, but none of the Iwa ninjas wanted to see if they could dodge the attack, so one of them was responsible for the defensive jutsu.

_**Doton Doryuuheki **__(Earth Release: Mud Wall Jutsu)_

Suddenly as the swords were approaching, a sudden wall made of mud appeared in front of it, stopping it completely, although the sword managed to slice a good chunk of the wall; didn't matter, though, as Yuugao took the opportunity and charged against the oblivious group from behind the wall with Naruto covering her flank with his twin knives.

The ninjas, though, were well versed in Doton jutsus, as they suddenly materialized from the ground in front of the wall and released their respective ninjatos to parry with Yuugao's katana. She managed to take one of the way and aim for the now unarmed opponent quickly, but she was interrupted when one of the enemies move to attack her from her blinded side, leaving her exposed. Naruto managed to land a shuriken on the attacker's side, thus giving his girlfriend time to evade the attack.

However, when she was about to kill her attacker, he back-flipped and landed behind the group for protection. The group, then, simultaneously, did some hand seals before landing their hands on the ground.

_**Doton Retsudo Tenshou **__(Earth Release: Revolving Split Earth Palm Jutsu)_

The ground started to form blocks of rock, going straight at Naruto and Yuugao promising to crush their entire body, but by the time the attack reached them, both Naruto and Yuugao were already on the air, launching projectile after projectile after the enemy in order to keep them occupied as they were falling, much to Iwa's protest, since they had to dodge the damn shurikens.

When the two landed, Naruto threw four more shurikens, forcing them to dodge and giving time for Yuugao to do some quick hand seals.

_**Suiton Suishuuha **__(Water Release: Wave Collision Jutsu) _

The sudden wave alerted them, before one managed to raise another mud wall and block the incoming attack. However, Naruto was already charging the oblivious group while focusing a different source of chakra. When only two of them materialized, Naruto was in front of them, with lightning chakra pouring through both his hands.

_**Raiton Raikou Dageki **__(Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Jutsu)_

Because of the advantage in both element and strength, Naruto's hands went through the Iwa shinobis' chest, going as far as appearing once more on their backs as thousand and thousand bolts were sent inside their organs and muscles.

They were dead instantly....

The other three materialized behind him as they observed this new threat in front of them. Of course, failure wasn't an option, so they couldn't flee. Failure back in Iwagakure would certainly bring severe consequences as the Tsushikage was a fierce ruler. The three opponents were so transfixed about Naruto's sheer power and strength, that they forgot that Yuugao was getting closer to their position with her katana only millimeters from one's back. The sound of metal piercing flesh alerted the blond, before he turned to see Yuugao thrusting her sword at the enemy`s back, killing him instantly, and at the same time, alerting the remaining two enemies, before they vanished from sight a moment to regroup, leaving Naruto and Yuugao alone with three bodies sprawled on the warm grass.

"Do you think they left?"

Yuugao heard Naruto asking and took a moment to observe their surroundings. Appearances lead them to believe that indeed they left the place, but Yuugao had enough experience under her belt to know that Iwa Shinobi could use Doton techniques to hide their presences below ground, so they could appear anywhere.

"I don't know Naruto…."

Both Naruto and Yuugao were surprised by the huge noise behind them, before they turned to see two boulders twice the size rolling in their direction.

_**Doton Doryuu Dango **__(Earth Release: Earth Dumpling Jutsu)_

They began to run with chakra reinforcing their limbs, but the boulders were gaining on them. During their running, both Naruto and Yuugao were cursing their inability to foresee the usage of chakra, but now they had more concerning problems to deal with. Naruto was running faster than Yuugao because of the ritual, but that wasn't good since the boulder would certainly catch Yuugao for sure, unless he did something. As he continued running, made some hand seals, before he started focusing lightning chakra on his feet.

Then, with lightning chakra coursing through his feet, the blond landed a roundhouse kick at the boulder which was inches away from crushing his girlfriend and the boulder exploded soon afterward, thus saving Yuugao. The problem was the debris ended up hurting both him and the woman severely and that left them on the ground with blood pouring from their limbs.

It was this time that the other two Iwa shinobis appeared in front of them, with devilish grins on their faces as they would finally be able to rid Iwa of the great Kazeryuu. Both Naruto and Yuugao got up from the ground as they tried to hold their bloody arms and stop the bleeding but to no avail; the blood loss was significant and still two shinobi needed taking care of.

But then Naruto remembered the word blood and considered their last hope of getting through this alive…he looked at his bloody hands for a while, before beginning a long series of hand seals.

_**Ookami Kuchiyose no Jutsu **__(Wolf Summoning Jutsu)_

Out of a sudden, just as the two shinobi from Iwa was about to move in for the killing blow, a large grey wolf with two tails appeared in front of the Kazeryuu snarling at them for a moment. This was bad, the iwa shinobi thought. So far, no record of Konoha holding the Wolf Contract was mentioned as this could mean they have an advantage in the war, besides the Toad, Slug and Snake Contract.

The wolf then turned to look at bloody Naruto and grinned at the summoner.

"Oh, this is a sight to behold uh Naruto…I wouldn't imagine you calling me for help. Hardly, these two goons gave this much of a rush, what happened?"

Despite the situation, Naruto returned a smile to the wolf, showing Yuugao that there is some sort of friendly relationship between summoned and summoner, but at least she was glad her boyfriend managed to think quickly, or else she wasn't sure what would happen.

"Tooboe-san, there were five of them, with these two managing to sneak on us; you can rub this on my face later, but can you help me here?"

"Huh, won't even break a sweat, I thought I told you to call me for a real fight…not this two weaklings. Hold on tight; I'll deal with them using only my technique"

The wolf, then, started gathering air inside his lungs as he focused chakra as well. Meanwhile, Naruto warned Yuugao to cover her ears as best as she could, for this technique was quite different than the regular wind attacks. She looked at him with skepticism, but complied nonetheless, seeing as Naruto knew about this animal's jutsu.

_**Ookami Fuuton Hijutsu Kaze no Tooboe **__(Wolf Secret Jutsu – Wind Release: Howling Wind Jutsu)_

As the wolf opened his mouth, he started roaring towards the opponents as the wind would increase exponentially each second. As the wind progressed, so did the wolf's roar making it too painful to Iwa's ears to bare as well as focusing all their chakra to remain steady. Not to mention the fact that just like any technique of the sort, the wind`s slicing capabilities were doing a number on the two to the point that they couldn't handle the pain any longer and stopped the flow of chakra that kept them firmly on the ground.

_Big mistake…_thought Naruto as he remembered what happened to him when he did that.

The wind, then, propelled them to the air as they flew towards the incoming trees, before falling on the ground unconscious. Finishing the technique, the wolf appeared by their side with his claws already on the verge of cutting their jugulars, when Naruto screamed for him not to do this.

"Tooboe-san, stop it…we need these two for interrogation. There is something wrong with this attack and I want answers. Yuugao-chan, could you please call some backup in here…we need to secure these two into custody and send them to Ibiki for questioning"

"What are you thinking Naruto, Iwa attacks you all the time and the reason is quite clear?" – Yuugao asked.

"Before, they would focus their efforts in killing me, not you as well. Also, the attempts on my life stopped for a long time, why start now? We have ground to capture them Yuugao-chan, they attacked Konoha Shinobi without any reason to, please send back up…"

Yuugao didn't need further explanation as her Anbu mode clicked. She vanished towards the hotel as she picked her Anbu armor as well as a communication device given by the Yondaime Hokage in case of any trouble. She communicated with the team of Anbu stationed nearby, sending them coordinates to their location, before she went back to Naruto's location with his Chuunin attire. As soon as she arrived, she gave Naruto his clothes, before he quickly changed.

Minutes afterwards, a team of Anbu appeared and collected the dead bodies as well as the two survivors to be further handed to Ibiki for questioning.

* * *

**===In Konoha===**

As soon as the bodies were handed in for Ibiki and the report was handed to the Hokage, Minato was very furious. Ever since his son was old enough to know what chakra was, Iwa has been trying to kill his little boy. He thanked Kami for they have yet to target his little girl Misao. The Yondaime, though, had to smile at his son's cunningness in keeping two of the attackers alive so that Ibiki could get a few answers out of them. Hopefully, with this, Konoha will be finally able to know who's aiding Orochimaru in the future invasion.

In front of the Hokage and the Sandaime, were Naruto and Yuugao; both in army like position waiting for orders from their commander.

"Hokage-sama, is there anything you wish of us?"

Yuugao asked, being the top in command of the two, but Minato nodded with his head in the negative.

"No, there's nothing Yuugao-san, you two can take a day to roam free. Tomorrow, the Chuunin Exams will commence and every Chuunin, Jounin and Anbu will be providing scout missions throughout the village in preparation for the invasion ahead. Now, Naruto, I want to ask about what the hospital file indicated. There was some rock debris that needed removal from your body, what happened out there? – Yondaime asked.

"We managed to take out three of the five opponents, until the other two fled the scene, presumably escaped towards their village. Nonetheless, we scouted the area since those bastards are able to hide their presences from within the Earth. Suddenly, when we least expected, which by the way I'm still cursing my inability to sense the usage of chakra at the time, they managed to throw a couple of boulders at us, until I managed to destroy it with my lightning strike jutsu. The problem was that upon destruction, it ended up sending loads of rock debris at us…the only reason we're here right now is because of a wolf summon, who took great care of the two goons"

The Yondaime understood the explanation and took a look at his son for a moment. The new body was yet to be adapted, but he was now more resilient, stronger.

"Well, son, you have until the Third Phase of the Chuunin Exams to get acquainted with your body again; I'm afraid that with the rate you're now going, it will need more time and that can't happen. So, I'll call Zabuza in for a spar with you every day to see how you're doing. It's imperative you are fully adapted by the time of the invasion"

Naruto didn't say anything to his father nor did he think something as well. True enough, what happened against the Iwa shinobis, showed him that he had yet to fully reach his potential and while Zabuza is way out of his league, he needed to fight against strong shinobi.

"I understand Hokage-sama and I appreciate it, if you don't mind…I'll go home and take a shower" – Naruto said.

"Understood, you two are dismissed"

* * *

**===next day===**

After a nice and long sleep, Naruto was now fully energized as he stood before Zabuza, who now was dressed as a Konoha Jounin with his Zanbatou strapped on his back. His outfit didn't say much different than the average Jounin, except for the fact that he was wearing a fishnet shirt below the Jounin vest, quite different from Kakashi's. He was also wearing Anbu stylish black paints with a couple of pockets for scrolls. The man was looking at the person he used to call 'blond brat', but Naruto now was easy the same size of the copy-nin Kakashi, if not taller.

"Hey kid, what happened to you? I've been on some missions and out of a sudden, you grow like this…the Hokage gave a brief summary about testing your new skills, but that's it"

Naruto smiled and wondered if he'll have to explain what happened to everyone he knew. He was still due to explain to both Neji and Tenten.

"It would take too long to explain Zabuza, but long story short, I have the scroll for the wolves and they're the reason I am like this now. Problem is that my chakra increased severely and well as my muscles; which is why I'm having trouble in adapting my skills to what it was before. So, I'm counting on you to help me Zabuza-san, can you do this for me?" – Naruto asked.

Zabuza nodded, before taking his zanbatou off his back and pointing it at Naruto.

"I believe the Hokage called the right man for the job; don't worry Kid, I'll warm you up like no one…get ready, because here I go"

With that, Zabuza charged at Naruto with blinding speed as he positioned his weapon to take Naruto's neck in a blinding second, but Naruto managed to evade it quickly, before aiming a low kick to Zabuza's stomach. However, the experienced Jounin just dodged the kick, before delivering a solid punch on Naruto's jaw, sending him up to the air, followed by a roundhouse kick on his stomach, which sent Naruto flying. The blond used the momentum and flipped his body in order to land straight, as he analyzed Zabuza's strength and speed. Naruto was considering his options as here he was fighting a man from the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Seeing as he was using the Kubikiri Houchou, there was no sense in not using his trench knifes to parry the strike, so the blond picked his weapon and positioned, before charging Zabuza from the left flank.

As he arrived inches from Zabuza, he began a fury of attacks with every intention of killing Zabuza, much to the Jounin's smirk as he was indeed expecting a nice fight. He managed to parry some with his large sword and evade the ones he wasn't fast enough to use the sword. He, then, did some back flips, before charging Naruto fast with his elbow, but Naruto ducked and landed a low kick to Zabuza's knee, before aiming a right hook up the man's jaw, sending him up. However as Naruto was about to give Zabuza the same medicine, the Jounin managed to hold Naruto's knee with his both hands as soon after dropping his sword on the ground. He, then, used Naruto's knee for propulsion as he back-flipped in the air while at the same doing some hand seals.

_**Suiton Suigadan no Jutsu **__(Water Release: Water Fang Projectile Jutsu)_

Naruto managed to sense the gathering of chakra and the water fang approaching his position, so he managed to evade the technique by jumping up high. He also managed to evade Zabuza's followed roundhouse kick by blocking with his right arm, before he flipped in midair, landing a reverse kick on Zabuza's sternum, propelling the man towards the ground. He managed to fall on his feet, though, but Naruto was already doing his share of hand seals and before Zabuza took note of his surroundings, he saw what appeared to be a considerable sized lightning ball coming his way, forcing him to escape using chakra, before the ball got in contact with the ground. He saw the huge explosion that followed, but he shouldn't take his eyes off the fight, for that Naruto was by his side a second later, landing a fast kick on his face, sending Zabuza flying once more, before flipping his body on the air and landing with both feet on the ground.

"You're getting better Naruto, that kick of yours really hurts and congrats on this jutsu, I wasn't aware that you had knowledge on Raiton. I guess I'll have to even the odds a little bit, so be prepared"

Zabuza, then, started another series of hand seals as Naruto just stood there waiting, however when the man finished the jutsu with the snake seal, Naruto was sure as hell surprised. Zabuza was from Kirigakure, so how the hell does he know about…

_**Doton Jishin **__(Earth Release: Earthquake Jutsu)_

As soon as Zabuza landed his hands on the ground, the entire ground started shaking, thus taking away Naruto's equilibrium, but Zabuza wasn't finished as he initiated a new series of hand seals this time for his affinity.

_**Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu**__ (Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu)_

The pond formed by Zabuza's first water jutsu suddenly shot up from where it was standing, before it transformed into the dragon shape as it roared towards Naruto with its menacing yellow eyes. The sea monster, then, charged at the still falling Naruto, but the blond wasn't beaten yet as he knew of a jutsu that required little series of hand seals and enough time for him to make before he falls on the ground and be consumed by the menacing dragon that was now only inches away from hitting him dead on, probably sending him to unconsciousness.

_**Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu **__(Wind Release: Wind Barrier Jutsu)_

The wind came the second Naruto's chakra was molded and it managed to protect him from the water dragon's fury, however as he looked up, he noticed that Zabuza was nowhere to be seen, until the man appeared from Naruto's side, aiming a straight punch at Naruto's left cheek. It was only by instinct, but the blond managed to evade the punch, before aiming for a low kick at Zabuza's leg, but the Jounin jumped and landed a reverse kick on Naruto's side stomach, which sent him flying towards a tree, as he initiated a series of hand seals, once more finishing with the snake hand seal.

_**Doton Doryuudan (**__Earth Release: Earth Dragon Projectile Jutsu)_

Naruto could sense the incoming projectile, but he couldn't do anything to stop them from hitting him dead on his chest, increasing the speed in which he was flying towards the incoming tree, so used the only jutsu that was able to slice the tree and hoping to land on his feet, afterwards. He sent a wind sword jutsu towards the tree as he watched the tree be slice in half at the exact moment he was about to collide, saving him from hitting his head. He landed on the ground, before looking at Zabuza with a focused expression, however Zabuza stopped the fight short, much to the blond's confusion.

"That's enough for today Naruto, from what I saw, your strength has greatly improved as that punch of yours really did a number on me, your speed did too, but I thought you'd rely more on your jutsus; they are your strength, why didn't you? – Zabuza asked.

"What I need to focus the most is my physical skills, not so much the chakra related attacks. I need to improve both my speed and strength…yours are far greater than mine, Zabuza. Oh and by the way, want to tell me why didn't you use Doton techniques against Kakashi on that day at the bridge, I was under the illusion that you only possessed Suiton affinity?

The ex-Kiri Nin laughed at the blond's question, since he knew he would surprise Naruto with his new skills.

"Until I joined Konoha, I focused on being a Suiton user, but here in order to become a Jounin, one must have mastery over two elements, so since I knew a couple of Doton techniques back in Kirigakure, I decided to focus on Earth as my second element. Well, we need to present to headquarters and check our schedule, Naruto. The Genin teams are this moment arriving at Konoha, so we must be prepared for the scouting procedures. Tomorrow, I'll expect to see more ninjutsu coming from you than Taijutsu or those knives of yours, got it?

Naruto nodded, before the two soon vanished towards the Administration Building to see what's ahead of them until the end of the Chuunin Exams.

* * *

_AN: Ok, this is it for the chapter._

_Wow, Zabuza having a doton affinity, who knew right? In fact, the man's participation at the actual anime was almost nonexistent…to the point that we didn't know if he only knew suiton techniques, so I thought about adding a doton affinity to the mix. After all, in order to be a jounin in Konoha, he would need a second element…Now; the chunnin exams are under way and darkness in on the horizon, will Konoha's plan be enough to overcome the invasion of three hidden villages and what will Ibiki find out after interrogating the iwa jounins. _

_Stay tuned for the next chapter. _

_See ya._


	24. Hunting the snake

****

Author Note

_**Have you ever wondered "Who is the hottest, sexiest, most beautiful girl ever created in the world of anime?" Well now's your chance to vote for your own Top 10. Kingkakashi besides having a great story, he has set-up a poll about this very question on his profile page. Help answer and settle this issue once and for all.**_

_**Well, check his profile and take a look at the list. **_

_**Now on to a new chapter of Full Moon**_

* * *

**Chapter 24 – Hunting the snake**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

Konoha is considered by many as not only beautiful but also a peaceful village where people would come and be safe. Ninjas would scout the area, granting the villagers a considerable sense of security even more so now that the Chunnin exams were taking place. The thing was that from a villager's perspective, a sudden increase in security meant nothing more than this…security. From a spy's perspective, though, it meant an entirely different thing as Yakushi Kabuto happened to be leaving the hospital after his 'fake' shift, while he studied Konoha's sudden increase in scouting missions in daylight.

It was a troublesome situation. The gray haired shinobi frowned as he remembered who managed to infiltrate the exams that, according to him, were in its first test right now. He knew Orochimaru wouldn't let anyone catch his disguise, but he feared that the Hokage and his shinobi already had prior knowledge on what was to come and were preparing accordingly. With three hidden villages against Konoha, Kabuto knew the odds were very much against the hidden village in the leaves, but he also knew, from history alone that Konoha survived two great ninja wars and even managed to surpass Iwa's both strong and numerous army with one guy that was now the village's Hokage.

Like Namikaze Minato, Konoha was famous of their legendary shinobi. Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, Momochi Zabuza former Kiri shinobi and pretty much all the major clans were fearsome opponents to face. Certainly, Kabuto wasn't what you would call afraid of what was to come, but he certainly enjoyed thinking of all the possible outcomes and certainly, he considered the possibility, even if almost zero, of Konoha emerging victorious from the invasion. Certainly, if his side was to win this war, they would have to focus on taking the elites first.

* * *

**===At one of the training grounds===**

The noise of the small waterfall fell on deaf ears as two powerful shinobi clashed in the middle of the field. One was using a zanbatou and the other twin trench knives. Each was trying to dominate the other, through sheer force alone. Ever since Naruto trained with Zabuza his skills had improved greatly, though the only aspect of the blonde's focus was to improve his physical abilities. Although he wasn't on the same level as one of the Seven Swordsmen, he managed to land some nice punches and kicks on the bandaged man. Suddenly, as Zabuza forced Naruto backwards, the blonde Chunnin deliberately stopped the game of dominance, forcing Zabuza to lose his balance, before landing a fierce front kick on his chest.

As Zabuza went skidding a couple of meters, it gave Naruto enough time to proceed with a series of hand seals for a jutsu both Zabuza and Haku helped him create. It focused on using fuuton and suiton control, not at the same time of course, but it came pretty close.

_**Fuuton Daiboufuu (Wind Release: Great Storm Jutsu)**_

As Naruto finished the seals sequence with the bird hand seal, the wind started picking up until it formed deafening gusts of wind, signaling the coming of a hurricane. Finally, as the wind speed became unbearable, Naruto changed the hand seal to the snake, slightly altering the jutsu's nature to water. The results were devastating as Zabuza was blown away with such force towards a thick tree that he would be unconscious had it not been for a water substitution jutsu.

However, this fact didn't escape the blonde as he prepared his trench knives to parry the sudden zanbatou strike that came from behind him. The problem was that the swing was packed with enough force that the blonde had trouble blocking it, allowing Zabuza to land a powerful punch to Naruto's face, sending him on a little trip through the air. Zabuza took this opportunity to send a couple of shuriken flying at Chunnin. Naruto heard the projectiles approaching and snarled before doing a quick series of two hand seals. He managed to gather enough wind to form a small typhoon around his body, managing to redirect the projectiles far away as he skidded a few more meters.

With a familiar hand seal, Naruto created two kage bunshins and charged at Zabuza. The ex-Kiri ninja smiled and sliced the head off one of the bunshins, before the others attacked him. However the man didn't earn his reputation for nothing and he managed to dodge and evade most of the attacks. As an assassin, Zabuza didn't just stuck to defending and in little less than a minute all the clones were beaten save for the real one. Zabuza didn't wait long before he landed a powerful kick to Naruto's skull sending the Chunnin to bitter unconsciousness yet again.

"You lack aggressiveness Naruto. I already told you that and yet you keep repeating the same mista…"

Zabuza was suddenly at a loss of words as the body vanished, indicating that it was also a kage bunshin. Suddenly, Naruto appeared running from behind Zabuza, while performing hand seals as he molded the necessary chakra.

_**Raiton Raikou Dageki (Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Jutsu)**_

The Kiri shinobi only had time to see lightning exhaling from the blonde's body before Naruto's lightning induced kick landed right at his left cheek sending the assassin ninja flying towards the incoming river. Problem was that because of the impact Naruto managed to send thousands and thousands of volts into Zabuza's system making his body go numb. Hence why upon hitting the water the jounin's body would have sunk had it not been for the lake's depth. However, Naruto wasn't betting on it as he took Zabuza off the water and landed his body on the lake shore at the same time Zabuza managed to regain control over his body.

"So…" Naruto said calling Zabuza's attention as the man suddenly coughed a bit. "You were saying I was lacking aggressiveness, huh? I guessed I passed that test, right?

"It seems so…your father was right…you do have a knack for ninjutsu. I heard only bits and pieces about your lightning manipulation but I didn't know it reached this level. Now, I believe that is enough for today. In a few hours, the first exams will finish and I'm due to proctor the second part. That being said, we won't be doing this for a good five days."

Naruto already knew all of this, so he nodded and bid farewell to his part-time sensei.

"Don't sweat I'll just bother Kakashi-niisan while you are away. See ya in five, Zabuza."

* * *

**===At the Academy===**

Inside Room 301, hundreds and hundreds of chuunin hopefuls were attending the first part of the chuunin exams and Morino Ibiki happened to be the proctor for the first part. His test involved ten questions. It seemed quite easy to those that didn't understand what the man did for a living, but in the middle of the test Ibiki would work his magic with some of the genins in regards to their resolve. Occasional genjutsus were casted in order to disrupt the genin's focus, forcing some to fall on traps that the chunnins positioned on the room's walls eliminating said genin.

This chunnin exam was special to Konoha because of the ones attending the exam. All of the village's major clans had their respective heirs attending. Uchiha, Hyuuga, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, Inuzuka and Aburame were present. All of the heirs were special and equally skilled on their clan abilities, hence why not one of them fell victim to Ibiki's psychological warfare. In fact a couple of them outright dispelled the genjutsu as soon as it was caste. Genins like Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru were considered the best among those from their graduating year.

Looking at the remaining genin, Ibiki couldn't help but smirk at how easily he was able to scare some of them, leaving only fifteen teams for the second part of the exams. Suddenly, a thick mist started to gather inside the room and carried enough killing intent that some of the genins started to shiver in nothing but pure fear. A team from Kirigakure was affected the most as they were aware of the history of the one that betrayed their village and joined the hidden village in the leaves. Ibiki, for his part, only smiled at this equally effective method of scaring the genin before the ex-Kiri shinobi decided to grace the room with his terrifying voice. However it wasn't directed at the genin as he masked his presence to them.

"What's the situation, Ibiki? Did you find anything odd from them?"

Although Zabuza was merely a shadow behind Ibiki, the chief of interrogation didn't need to turn his neck as he addressed the proctor of the chunnin exams next to him.

"A few suspicious shinobi actually are in this very room, though I have yet to present some conclusive evidence to you. I'm sure your team will be more than adequate to follow them. The team from Suna, specially the red-haired kid...he managed to disguise it good, but I sense some strange aura around him. Also, I can't help but smell the scent of snake in the vicinity and since Anko is not here this means that there is a possibility that either He's here or a fellow henchmen."

Zabuza nodded as he took a look at the genin in front of him. Indeed, he sensed the strange aura surrounding the kid from Suna, but he couldn't for the life of him sense Ibiki's uneasiness regarding Orochimaru's supposed presence in the vicinity. It didn't matter though, because the Hokage placed a team of well-seasoned jounin under his orders to make sure that the exams go as normal as any deadly chunnin exam should be.

"Okay, I'll relay the information to my squad now let's proceed with the second part of the chuunin exams." Zabuza said as the mist suddenly dissipated and the room turned normal once more.

The genin were surprised to see the new jounin in front of them and the Mist team snarled at Zabuza upon seeing him wearing standard Konoha attire. The bandaged-wearing shinobi smirked at this and locked eyes with them for a moment. Kirigakure was forever forgotten in his mind as the place he was born and raised. Konoha was much better for him and Haku, but that didn't mean he couldn't play a little with the Mist genins. Increasing his killing intent for a while, he saw the three trying to make a tough front but failing miserably. By the time he saw a single drop of sweat coming from one's forehead he subsided and laid a message to all the genins.

"For those who passed this phase my congrats, but this has nothing to do with the next stage that is in store for all of you. So, without further a due the second phase will begin. Everyone meet me the training ground number 44 and I'll explain the second part of the exam."

* * *

**===At the Hokage's office===**

The chuunin exams were a valid way to increase a village's economy and resources as merchants from all over the elemental nations came to sell their products and acquire some as well. Not only merchants, but important civilians also came though only for the major event that would occur in one month's time. This happened to be Minato's main concern as he saw a pile of letters sent by highly influential business men. The Feudal Lords of both Grass and Fang Country had already sent a letter stating that they would attend the exams. A group of business men from Lightning Country would attend as well. However, what concerned Minato the most was that a representative from Earth Country's Daimyou would also attend.

Normally, both Iwa an Earth Country wouldn't want anything to do with Konoha. Ever since the last Great Shinobi War, that part of the map pretty much cursed Minato's family with constant murder attempts as well as numerous attacks on the man's son. This went on until Naruto himself was placed on Iwa's bingo book because so far, no one could defeat him in battle.

Suddenly, an Anbu appeared in front of the Hokage as he kneeled in respect to the blonde Namikaze.

"Hokage-sama, the second phase of the Chuunin Exams started a few minutes ago and Zabuza-taichou requested this message to be delivered to you, sir."

The Hokage nodded and picked a scroll with a smile on his face before the Anbu vanished within a swirl of leaves. As the smoke subsided, Minato turned to read Zabuza's report on the exams so far. As expected, Ibiki managed to narrow down the least qualifying genin of the bunch, leaving only the most gifted shinobi to go for the next phase. Of course, gifted could also mean someone who is talented enough to infiltrate the exams undetected as Minato's suspicion now indicated. Obviously, for a sanin and ninja of Orochimaru's caliber, there wasn't much that he couldn't do and that's what got the blonde Hokage worried, hence why he placed only the most seasoned jounin to attend the Chunnin Exams.

Of course, it still may not be enough to prevent some calamity to happen within Konoha's walls.

According to Zabuza's report, Ibiki was suspicious of a red haired kid from Suna based on the fact that he sensed a strange aura around the kid. The Hidden Village of the Sand became a suspicious place for Minato ever since his son Naruto managed to capture an Iwa jounin that wanted to kill the chuunin. It took some time, but the head of interrogation managed to work his magic and confirmed that Iwa was soon moving on Konoha together with the snake sanin. Problem was that he mentioned some aspects of Suna that was unsettling. Although he had yet to confirm their involvement in the entire manner, just the mention of another village joining the attack made Minato shiver in fear for his people.

Konoha sure had its many talents and surely, quality beats quantity, but there is a limit to how much a gifted shinobi can kill before he gets overwhelmed by the enemy's number. The blonde Hokage could just hope that, like all wars prior to this one, the hidden village in the leaves would emerge victorious once more. Minato stopped his wonderings once he heard someone knocking on the door. The Sandaime Hokage entered the office with a smile on his face.

"Minato-kun how is everything so far?

The Namikaze considered himself a very controlled individual. Even in times like these he was considered to be very level-minded. However, in comparison to the man in front of him, he looked like a frightened child no matter how much experience he gathered behind the Hokage's table.

"So far, nothing out of the ordinary, from the reports anyway. Ibiki has some suspicions but nothing substantial. Zabuza is with the genins now, explaining about the second test of the Chunin Exams."

"That's good. Well, my student certainly won't make a movement now. My guess is that he'll choose a time where our defense is more vulnerable. Certainly, with your Anbu scouting protocol, he won't feel safe in attacking us yet" Hiruzen said, earning a nod from the current Hokage as he took another seat behind his desk and decided to handle some paperwork. The Sandaime Hokage made himself comfortable by asking for some tea and picking up a chair to set on as he watched Minato deal with a Kage's worst enemy. The never ending piles of paperwork.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Flying from tree to tree, Naruto suddenly stopped in a clearing as he looked around for a while. He was now on a scouting mission as he was patrolling the area near the east gate where there had been the largest number of occurrences. Two nights ago, for instance, an Anbu team found traces of a fight and two genins were killed. While it was impossible to know who the attacker was, the Anbu team found traces of doton ninjutsu and some projectiles imbedded to the victim's chest, indicating Iwa's possible involvement.

Just as he was about to move once more, a black wolf with white paws landed right in front of the blonde as he took a seating position.

"Report **Gekkou **(Moonlight). Did you find anyone suspicious?

The wolf in front of him was a master of illusionary techniques named Gekkou. Compared to the other summons, Gekkou only worked as a supplementary partner aiding Naruto from long-range with his genjutsu skills. This time, though, Naruto decided to use him to scout the area for enemies. Normally, all wolves possessed terrific tracking abilities, but only Gekkou had knowledge of illusionary techniques, hence why he was aiding Naruto in scouting the area.

"Nothing so far I'm afraid. If either my nose or my skills in detecting illusions doesn't work, then there is no enemy throughout the vicinity."

"I understand. You can go back then. I'll return to the village and file the report" said Naruto, before Gekkou vanished.

As the wolf vanished, Naruto took a moment to see as the sun was beginning to settle down on the horizon. As the beautiful scenery appeared before his eyes, Naruto couldn't help but feel that bad things would happen to the village he grew fond of. His eyes had yet to see the horror of what a war truly was, but he felt confident that when the time was up, he would defend his family and the village with the best of his ability. Now facing the village, Naruto let out a sigh as he could feel the wind landing a gentle breeze on his facial features, causing a nice feeling of utter relaxation, before he vanished towards the next set of trees towards the village where he was supposed to hand in the report of his scouting mission. Afterwards, maybe, he could find his girlfriend and see if she could join him for dinner after work.

* * *

**===Training Ground #44===**

As the gates opened, fifteen genin teams rushed inside one of the most dangerous sights there was in Konoha. The genins were now participating in a survival test, where they had five days to collect both an earth and heaven scroll, before heading straight to the tower in the middle of the forest. However, in order to get the other scroll, one team had to take it by force from another team, meaning that at least half of the already participating teams would fail. Not to mention that the Forest of Death was gained its name for a reason as both terrible and vicious creatures called the place home and had no qualms about feasting on the flesh of humans.

Of course, this exam was to remain as neutral as possible in order for the genins to prove themselves worthy of advancing to the last portion of the exam. However throughout the area, were also located several seasoned Konoha jonin in order to scout ahead and make sure that the enemy didn't do anything funny, especially the Iwa teams as two managed to pass Ibiki's test.

Right now, the team composing of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Sai were jumping through the three branches in search for the earth scroll to go with their heaven scroll. A couple of minutes earlier, they managed to locate a team from Mist and dispatched them easily with Sasuke's Sharingan and Sai's Ink ninjutsu. However, that team possessed a heaven scroll, so it was pointless to take it.

As team seven jumped through the branches, all three genin were feeling strange. It felt as if they were being followed the entire time since first entering the forest. Sasuke, for his part, didn't like this feeling as his Uchiha Pride, arrogance to some, wouldn't allow him to be considered being the hunted. Activating his Sharingan, he couldn't sense any abnormality with the scenery, hence why he deactivated the dojutsu in order to conserve chakra. As the team vanished towards the horizon, a sudden image flickered behind a thick tree and a woman appeared with long black hair and wearing Kusa headband.

_Soon, Sasuke-kun, your Sharingan will be mine…just you wait_

The insane laughter, somehow, managed to carry through the entire foliage, speaking highly of how dangerous this man could be.

* * *

**===Team 10===**

Nara Shikamaru was considered a genius among the genins for a number of reasons that he always considered too troublesome to remember them. Right now, his team managed to place some traps around the cavern they chose to rest in for a bit, considering that the moon was already up. One special weakness of the Nara clan jutsus happened to be the night itself as without the sunlight, it became difficult to spread the user's shadow towards the enemy as effectively. So, if the team were to fight at night, then Shikamaru would step aside and let both his teammates do the fighting, while he covered them from the back with projectiles and long-range techniques.

Growing fond of the silence that filled the cave, the entire team managed to relax a bit knowing that if someone were to attack them, the traps will grant them time to prepare. However, the lazy genius for some reason couldn't close his eyes before a strange feeling loomed inside the cave. He couldn't place outright the source of this strange feeling, but definitely it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. Both Asuma-sensei and Naruto-taichou explained to him that a ninja's instincts are the key to survival out there on the field. So he began to focus on the environment in order to pinpoint the exact source of this feeling of dread. Closing his eyes for a moment and focusing his attention, Shikamaru suddenly widened his eyes as he sensed the usage of chakra on top of the cave.

_**Doton Iwa Yado Kuzushi (Earth Release: Stone Lodging Destruction Jutsu)**_

As Shikamaru looked up, he felt the entire cave trembling like an earthquake, before he rushed to wake up his teammates.

"Ino, Chouji, wake up we need to get out of here right away!"

Shikamaru didn't even allow Ino to protest to the rude awakening before he grabbed her and ran for the cave opening. They made it out just as the entire ceiling collapsed on their sleeping position. As they left, the cave now was nothing more than pile up of rocks and mud as three people stood on top of it, looking at Team 10 with mug looks on their faces. Shikamaru was the only one that managed to see the Iwa headband as the moonlight managed to reflect off of it for a second.

"Who are they, Shikamaru? - asked Ino, drawing the leader's attention.

"They are from Iwa, I'm afraid. Troublesome, but I'm afraid we can't rest as of yet. That technique was something I've never seen before, so it means that these three aren't regular genins. We have to proceed with caution and if the situation is too much then fleeing is the best option."

This sudden level of cowardice didn't fit Shikamaru at all in Chouji's opinion, and he felt like berating his friend for it. However Shikamaru began to explain his reasons.

"I'm not just running Chouji; my clan techniques favor the sunlight as it's easier to control the shadow. Right now if we were to fight these guys for real we'd have a disadvantage concerning my shadow control. We can't just barge into a fight Chouji without considering our options."

The pineapple haired genin's explanation seemed to ease the bulky Akimichi, but not once did he stop looking at the enemy, proof enough of the family's bravery.

The Iwa team though didn't care for pleasantries as they all attacked at once with kunai in their hands, before Chouji began doing hand seals.

_**Doton Doryuu Dango (Earth Release: Mausoleum Earth Dumpling Jutsu)**_

After the snake hand sign Chouji slammed both hands on the ground, focusing the molded chakra and lifting the huge ball of earth as the team from Iwa charged at them. When the time was right, Chouji threw the ball of earth with all of the strength that he could muster, forcing the enemy to scatter towards the trees. Shikamaru looked up and cursed seeing as the Iwa team managed to surround them, leaving no room for escape.

"Troublesome, I guess we have no choice but to engage. Ino, Chouji, listen to what I say…"

As Shikamaru explained the plan to his team, the Iwa team grew tired of waiting and charged Team 10 with a barrage of mud projectiles, forcing the group to take evasive maneuver. Ino was the first that managed to get into attacking position and proceeded with some hand seals.

_**Suiton Ja no Kuchi (Water Release: Snake Mouth Jutsu)**_

The lake nearby the fighting field suddenly sprung into action as the jet stream transformed into a snake that charged towards the closet opponent. However, the targeted individual just dodged the attack with ease and threw a couple of kunai at the still falling Ino, thus catching her by surprise. If it weren't for Shikamaru and some projectiles to meet the opponents' then she would have been taken out. Shikamaru, though, was caught by surprise by one who sneaked up behind him and finished a quick series of hand seals, gathering some mud on his mouth.

_**Doton Doryuuhebi (Earth Release: Mud Serpent Jutsu)**_

Seconds after the man spilled the deadly attack; the mud immediately transformed and hit Shikamaru dead on before the lazy genius could dodge sending him flying towards the incoming tree. Chouji was near so by using his family jutsus, he inflated his hand and stopped Shikamaru's flight before placing him on the ground. Ino just appeared before evading an array of shuriken. By this time, Shikamaru snarled while looking at the enemies carrying smug looks on their faces like his team were nothing but amateurs.

"Shit, they're just toying with us right now. I don't know how but they aren't ordinary genin. Something is wrong here." Shikamaru said, alerting the team's attention as he proceeded. "Their techniques and the speed in which they move as well as their coordination is far too developed for genin. Chouji, provide some cover for us, we can't take them as we are now. We'll wait for the sun to rise."

The Akimichi obeyed without question and threw a couple of flash bombs up in the air to blind the enemy as Team 10 made a run to the other side. The Iwa team cursed underestimating their opponent's as the blinding light was enough to let team 10's escape. When their eyes went back to normal, the Iwa team cursed their own stupidity. They relaxed their guard and in the span of seconds three kunai found their targets, piercing the rock ninja's backs with considerable force, killing the first two in seconds and leaving the leader in agonizing pain.

"How? You three were just mere genins."

The man's question of incredulity was enough proof to Shikamaru that they were indeed more than genins, but he explained nonetheless.

"My clan happens to focus its skills in shadow manipulation, hence why the flash bombs weren't just to allow our escape, but also for me to use a jutsu that allowed me instant transportation through my shadow. With this technique it was easy to sneak up behind you. The only thing left was to aim the kunai right and add some chakra to them for a secure kill."

Shikamaru's explanation only served to piss the man off, as he was not only beaten by a team of genin, but he was fooled by one as well. Nevertheless, there was nothing more he could do as the kunai managed to hit a vital organ and he was now suffering severe internal bleeding. It wasn't long before the light left his eye and he was dead. The lazy genius approached the Iwa shinobi and saw the scroll of heaven on his jacket pocket, meaning that his team could now go to the tower first thing in the morning.

However, as Shikamaru was about to meet up with his team who by this time already found a nice hideout for them to rest, a team of three Konoha jonin landed right in front of him. One of them Shikamaru recognized as Shiranui Genma, because of the bandana and the toothpick on his mouth. Before the man could speak, though, Shikamaru beat him to it.

"I was wondering when you guys would appear. They would have kill us for sure if they had taken us seriously."

"Yondaime-sama made it clear that we're not supposed to get in the way unless the situation called for it. We knew they were just toying with you, hence why we thought that their intention was to collect your scroll and move on. The Hokage was wary of possible Iwa chuunin posing as genin to study our strength. Now, we'll take these three into custody and analyze as much as we can about who are we up against. Join your team immediately and head to the tower immediately."

Before Shikamaru could even nod in acceptance, the group of jounin had already vanished from sight, earning some complaints from the lazy genius before he jumped towards the hideout his teammates found a couple miles away. He couldn't help but curse, as he wished that the shinobi world was a bit simpler so he could spend some free time watching the clouds. Of course, that was wishful thinking on his part as seeing the profession he chose, there would rarely be times where he could just rest and watch the clouds passing by.

Some minutes later, Shikamaru landed in front of yet another cave as he saw his friend waiting for him. He was quickly enveloped in a hug from Ino.

"Don't you ever do something like that again, you hear me?! Man I don't know how you convinced me to do this. Those guys were way stronger than we are combined."

"Troublesome, relax Ino, they're dead now."

Ino continued the shouting though, but the only thing Shikamaru really wanted was to close his eyes and get some much deserved rest as tomorrow they wouldn't need to worry about this forest anymore.

* * *

**===With Team Seven===**

It was the second day of the exam and team seven was scouting the forest for some team that possessed the scroll they were looking for. So far there had been no such luck as all the teams they encountered had the same heaven scroll and Sasuke was beginning to get impatient as was Sakura. Sai, on the other hand, was getting suspicious of the possibility of someone following them. He had been getting this feeling since they started the exams, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Finally, Sasuke's Sharingan detected movement to the northeast direction and charged with his team in tow, until they found a team from Suna washing up a bit near a small river. The group, for their part upon sensing the sudden usage of chakra, turned their heads and saw Sasuke's team up on the tree ahead. Deciding to check things out first, Sasuke started a little conversation.

"Okay Suna ninjas, what scroll do you possess?"

The one who must have been the leader of the group held up their scroll and the Uchiha smirked upon finally seeing the earth scroll in the man's hand. It was enough for the conversation to be over and Sasuke charged the team head on with his Sharingan active, while Sai covered his flank with his ink tigers. Sakura remained behind for cover as the fight began. Two of the Suna genin picked up a small sword and charged both Sasuke and Sai with the intent of kill quite visible. However, their speed didn't compare to Sasuke and Sai as both dodged the incoming attack, before landing a powerful kick on each opponent's chest.

Taking advantage of the situation, Sasuke began doing hand seals before gathering air inside his lungs.

_**Katon Dai Endan (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu)**_

The two genins that were flying managed to flip by using the momentum, but they were ill prepared to dodge the incoming fireball. Suddenly, a huge wall of mud erupted from the ground as the third member of the group suddenly appeared, thus stopping the deadly fire technique.

"You two pay attention. This guy is an Uchiha so fight for real."

As the wall subsided, all three were shocked to see both Sasuke and Sai charging with great speed carrying two kunai in each hand. This forced the Suna group to fight for real as all three of them threw shuriken in order to stop the charge. One of them hit Sai, but he suddenly melted, indicating that he was an ink bunshin. Meanwhile Sasuke, with a swing from his kunai, managed to cut the leader's arm badly. Suddenly, the man began to suffer spasms, earning the shock of his teammates until they saw that Sasuke was channeling lightning chakra into his weapon.

"Your friend is out of the fight. Hand over the scroll or you two will be killed." Sasuke threatened as he saw that Sai was right behind the last two in case they did not surrender.

Initially, they would stay and fight, but their friend needed immediate attention so one of them delivered the scroll to Sasuke, before disappearing while carrying his injured friend. As Sasuke kept the scroll inside his kunai holster, the air suddenly increased and it became hard to breath. Because of the mission in Wave Country, the entire team was made aware of how much killing intent a strong enemy could produce, but this didn't even compare to Zabuza's. This was stronger and Sakura was struggling not to scream in fright, while Sai and Sasuke were trembling.

"_Ku Ku Ku_ that was some impressive fighting, Sasuke-kun. Your clan must be proud of the fine shinobi you turned out to be."

The voice appeared to come from all directions, as the Uchiha snarled at once again feeling like he was the one being hunted. The problem was that this guy knew him and that was never a good thing.

"Who are you? Show your face you coward!" shouted Sasuke as he was getting used to the whole killing intent. A shadow appeared on top of a tree a few meters in front of the team. Appearances alone, the team was looking at a woman with long black hair and a Kusa headband. They recognized 'her' from the first part of the exam as Sasuke stepped forward in order to speak to her.

"Once again, who are you and how do you know my name?"

The woman smirked and, quite to the team's shock, put out her long tongue and licked her lips in pure delight at the pray in front of her just like a snake would do. Needless to say, Sakura was on her knees shaking in fear, before Sai reached up to her and cut off the killing intent by yanking one hair from her, much to her protest as she screamed at her teammate for ruining her hair so much.

"Sakura, that girl was using a strange technique and was affecting all three of us by doing this I managed to snap you out of it."

The girl appeared to accept the explanation and remained quiet. Actually, though, she would remain verbalizing some insults to Sai, had this woman not appeared challenging Sasuke and her team. Back to Sasuke and the woman's conversation, Sasuke was barely managing to control his urges for some unfathomable reason. It was like this woman was goading him to charge at her with everything he had.

"Everyone knows the famous Uchiha Clan and everyone knows your brother Uchiha Itachi. From what I saw, it won't take long before you two are on the same level. As for what I want with you is nothing more than to test your skills."

_**Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu)**_

The sudden vortex of wind blew the entire team away along with a few smaller trees. Sai was the first to get off the huge gust of wind as he landed on top of a tree thick enough to withstand the powerful wind force. However, the ink user had to brace himself as a twenty foot green snake appeared out of nowhere and charged at him with the intent of eating him whole. As he kept dodging the snake's destructive strikes, Sai was thinking of a strategy to beat this opponent in particular.

His techniques were made for tracking enemies and assassination, not killing huge snakes. But he was considering the woman and the reason behind Sasuke being her target. Whatever it was, he knew time was off the essence, so he couldn't waste much time with this animal.

_Shit, this jutsu will take a considerable portion of my chakra, but I have to do it in order to protect the Uchiha like Danzou-sama ordered. _

As he kept dodging the strikes, he grabbed a scroll from his kunai holster and, with a pencil, drew what appeared to be a two-tailed dragon. Hevthen focused on molding the necessary chakra by using a one-handed seal.

_**Ninpou Dai Choujuu Giga (Ninja art: Great Beast Imitation Jutsu)**_

Suddenly, the ink dragon materialized outside the scroll before expanding to at least ten times its regular size as Sai jumped on top of it. As the snake charged once more, the dragon lifted off evading the serpent before it made a swift dive towards the ground. Suddenly, its wing became razor sharp and sliced the snake like it was made of paper, killing the beast. Right away, Sai stopped the chakra source as he landed on the ground, panting a little bit from the over chakra exertion. Quickly inhaling a soldier pill, Sai charged to Sasuke's position hoping that he didn't arrive too late.

Oblivious to the fight of man versus beast, Sasuke was doing his best to avoid being killed as this lady continued toying with him. She was dodging his attacks like he was a little child with a temper. It was strange to the proud Uchiha as his 'wonderful' Sharingan wasn't helping him at all. He managed to predict the movements, but what Sasuke was still due to learn about the doujutsu was that the body takes some time to respond accordingly. Without having proper reflexes it didn't matter if he could see the opponent's next move as he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Getting some distance between them, Sasuke pulled out special windmill shuriken, before he threw them around the tree that the lady was located. The wire strapped to the projectiles managed to trap the lady in place, before Sasuke landed on a tree a few meters away as he proceeded with a considerable hand seal series.

_**Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu)**_

Instantly, Sasuke's body started combusting as the technique reached the wires, sending a strong blast of fire towards the trapped enemy. It hit her full force, earning loud screams from her as her skin was beginning to melt because of the technique's temperature. By this time, Sasuke's chakra was beginning to decrease heavily and he was feeling the effects of the fatigue. If this attack didn't work, then he feared that nothing would stop her from killing him and his teammates. Sai was nowhere to be seen and Sakura, well, the type of killing intent emitted by their enemy was enough to send her into bitter unconsciousness.

_(AN: A little note to those Sakura fans, I'm not diminishing her skills in any way, rather just copying Kishimoto's view of her during the event at the Forest of Death. Let's face it; she did nothing while Naruto and Sasuke fought the incredibly tough sannin…)_

As Sasuke decided to rest a bit, he heard a different voice from the woman's direction. This voice was carried with enough malice and bloodlust that Sasuke for the first time in his life felt scared. He saw with his Sharingan the woman's face, but the strangest thing was that the face was melting and another one was appearing, one with eyes that the Uchiha thought belonged to a menacing snake.

"Ku ku ku, very nice Sasuke, you're worthy of the gift I'll give you. It's only fair, though, that I tell you my name. I'm Orochimaru."

The instant shock was enough to give the sanin his cue to stretch his neck towards the Uchiha, but as he was ready to bite the defenseless Uchiha, Orochimaru saw the other genin charging with a roundhouse kick aimed at his chest. It didn't matter, though, as the snake could stretch his neck even further hence why even after being sent flying courtesy of Sai's kick, Orochimaru stretched his neck long enough to bite Sasuke's neck, injecting the gift into his system. Suddenly, the entire forest fell deaf to Sasuke's insane scream of pain as the corrupted chakra began to burn his chakra coils, causing him excruciating pain.

The snake sannin was laughing as his plan worked. He quickly acted on instinct, substituting himself with an earth bunshin, just as the Kubikiri Houchou came flying and sliced his neck. Next a thick mist covered the entire area. Suddenly, a group of jonin filled the area as they managed to save Sai, Sakura and Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches. Zabuza stood face to face with the deadly enemy in front of him.

"Orochimaru, one of the sanin and a S-ranked criminal of Konoha, you're under arrest for your crimes against the hidden village in the leaves."

Normally, Zabuza wouldn't dare fighting a man such as Orochimaru. He was strong no doubt but he wasn't stupid. What he intended was to fight him along with the jonin who by now had already taken positions around the enemy. The snake, however, only laughed as if the threat was nothing.

"Momochi Zabuza ex-member of the _Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū_ (Seven Swordsmen of the Mist), now a shinobi of this pathetic village, I don't have any intention of fighting you nor any other jounin for that manner. I accomplished what I came here to do, so I'll be leaving now. Oh and tell the Yondaime not to stop the exams, otherwise I'll burn this village to the ground."

Orochimaru, afterwards, started to melt as Zabuza understood it was only an earth bunshin the entire time. He knew, though, that the snake did something to these genins, otherwise he wouldn't waste his time attacking them. Looking at the two members of the team, he sighed and walked to them.

"You two take care of the Uchiha, until he recovers and proceed with the second phase. We'll report what happened here to the Hokage."

Sai and Sakura couldn't help but comply with the order as Sai grabbed the unconscious Sasuke and both vanished to a safe place until the Uchiha recovered from his unconsciousness. The problem was that Sakura saw the strange mark formed on his neck and wondered what happened since she was unconscious.

* * *

_**Author Note**_

_**Ah, so Orochimaru's plan came to fruition, after all. Now, what will Sasuke do with this new found power? Will he use it against his village, his family, his brother? Furthermore, the second phase of the chuunin exams is in full force as both Iwa and Orochimaru are causing their share of havoc inside Konoha's very walls. **_

_**Join us for next chapter as Naruto joins the exam as he will be the one hosting the preliminaries and the third phase of the exams.**_

_**See ya**_


	25. The invasion prelude

**Author Note**

I've just read Chapter 489 and now it became clearer to me. Hinata's confession was like it never existed. The blond idiot is happy, smiling to the heavens as he heard Tsunade was better. Besides this, though, this story is getting interesting once more. And for those who read my story 'Tired', somehow I was right regarding the key to Naruto's power which was with the toads. Now that Naruto will open the seal placed by Yondaime, he'll have more chakra than any other human being on the elemental nations.

Plus I'm eager to see what jutsu the key toad was referring to. Furthermore, Kabuto's position struck me as odd. I mean, first he swears revenge on Sasuke to what he did to Orochimaru. Then, he goes up and joins the very same organization Sasuke is a part of. It appears to me he wish to destroy everything from the inside. Call it a hunch, but I believe that inside Kabuto's body lies a dormant Orochimaru, just waiting a while to resurface once more. Overall, the chapter was nice and I'm looking forward to what happens once Naruto places his hand in the two squares, like instructed by the key toad.

I'd like to take this opportunity and say thank you to all the readers of this story as well as the others. Since the beginning of my adventure in fan fiction, I was wondering whether or not the readers would actually enjoy my stories, but from the reviews I received (at least the majority of them), I have no doubt that all of you enjoyed it and I say thank you; for the reviews, for the constructive criticism that helped me cover from plot holes that were developing, everything.

I also want to place a special thanks to some, as they helped me a lot from reviewing my stories as my beta; to submitting nice reviews and sharing storyline discussions.

**Dbtiger63**

**Kingkakashi**

**Dreetje**

**Kyuubi123**

**Skazi**

**Savanin**

**Buzzbumble**

Now, without further a due, I'd like to present a new chapter of the Full Moon story.

ENJOY!!!

* * *

**Chapter 25 – The invasion prelude**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

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* * *

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After the end of the second phase six genin teams managed to finish, quite to everyone's suspicion, including some of the genins. The Iwa teams were stronger, more skilled. Although none of them could be considered genins in the first place, not all of the teams were captured by the jounins inside the village, which meant only one thing. The Hidden Village of the Rock was gathering information on Konoha's shinobi, perhaps even gauging how easy it would be to infiltrate the village without getting caught.

As of now, Iwa already knew that a few of their shinobi were captured, which meant war was now unavoidable. If Iwa ddi not move against Konoha, Konoha would have every right to declare war on Iwa for tampering with the chunnin exams and attacking the clan heirs deliberately.

Right now, the genins were lined up in front of the Hokage and a few jounins. Some of them looked tired. Others seemed on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion due to escaping mostly unharmed from the place called the "forest of death". Konoha was the best represented village of the exams with four teams that managed to pass with Suna passing only one and the new village of Sound also passing one.

Minato eyed the chunnin hopefuls with a smile on his face as these exams could be quite taxing. Nevertheless, it was required of chunnins to be in the front lines. If they couldn't handle five days inside a forest, how can they expect to survive in a full-scale war? Also, a chunnin is a born captain of a squad and as such, he would have to face dangerous situations, while at the same time keeping their composure leading ordering his or her squad.

"Congratulations to everyone for passing the second phase. The exams are tough, but nonetheless necessary for us to see whether or not any of you deserve to be promoted. As chunnins, all of you will be performing gruesome and challenging tasks in the name of your respective villages, so this test serves as guidance for the Kages to determine how each one of you behave under stressful situations. Now, since the second phase is now over, let's proceed with the third phase..."

Minato stopped talking immediately as a strong and deep voice echoed throughout the gigantic gymnasium.

"Allow me Hokage-sama, there are certain measures that must be taken care of before we can proceed to the third part..."

The Hokage smiled and nodded as he knew the voice had its merit. Suddenly, in the middle of the field, a considerable typhoon started forming until two presences could be seen inside. The wind was starting to increase, until the genins had to shield their eyes. After a few minutes, the wind died down as a carbon copy of the Yondaime Hokage appeared. On his side was a big wolf and it was wiping its tail while focusing its attention on the genins. The presence alone was enough for some to gasp as they had yet to see Namikaze Naruto after his transformation.

Immediately; Ino, Sakura, Temari and a genin from Sound Kin Tsuchi blushed at his looks. However, a second later, all of them had different thoughts. Sakura shoved the image away and focused on Sasuke's, Temari focused on Suna's plan to invade Konoha as did Kin. Ino, though, was the only one who kept looking while drooling at the thought of what Naruto would do to her.

"Welcome to the third part of the Chunnin Exams. I'm Namikaze Naruto and the wolf next to me is Gekkou. I'll be the proctor for the third exam, but first we are in need of a preliminary round."

The genins started mumbling between themselves at the absurdity of more fights. The jounin-senseis all smiled at their genins' bad luck, while some observed Naruto with a smile on their faces. Both Kakashi and Asuma participated in Naruto's growth throughout the years and they could see how mature he looked as he stood in front of the genins.

Shikamaru was the first to speak.

"Why do we need a preliminary round in the first place? None of us are in any condition to be fighting."

Naruto smirked at Shikamaru's question, but answered nonetheless.

"As it stands, there are eighteen genins here. The third exam consists of a showdown of one on one skills and nobles from all the elemental nations will be present to watch. Should all of you participate, it would take too long for the exams to end and it is possible that it would take more than one day for the entire tournament. Needless to say, people would be bored. As for you being incapable of fighting, that's not of my concern it's yours and you had best deal with it!"

Naruto smirked even more once he heard Shikamaru grumble his usual 'troublesome', before proceeding with the explanations.

"As I explained, we'll now proceed with some preliminary matches to reduce the number of participants. The electronic board behind me will determine who will fight against whom. Also, remember that as proctor, my word is final. If anyone violates my orders, he or she will be disqualified immediately. Besides that, anything is allowed. Also, one other thing...If I see that the opponent is incapable of fighting, I have the right to intervene and stop the fight. Now, before I begin the preliminary match, is there anyone who wishes to withdraw?"

As soon as Naruto asked, a silver haired man by the name of Kabuto raised his right hand and vocalized his wish to withdraw from the test, earning a nod from Naruto. Son and Father exchanged looks for a while, before Naruto acknowledged Kabuto's request. It was no secret that Kabuto had an amazing history with the chunnin exams as this was the eighth time he had failed to pass.

Surely, it was suspicious, but right now there wasn't any evidence that Kabuto was playing for the other team.

With that taken care of, the board's lights started to scramble throughout the genins' names, before stopping.

* * *

**Uchiha Sasuke x Inuzuka Kiba**

Both genins smirked for different reasons. Kiba smiled because he would finally teach Sasuke a lesson in humility. Sasuke smiled as he believed his fight would be easy, granting him a ticket to the third phase. As he walked, though, a strange mark on Sasuke's neck started to glow red, forcing the Uchiha to bite his lips in sudden pain.

Sasuke remembered both his brother and his sensei performing a strange ritual that managed to stop the seal's effects on Sasuke. However, it was their fear that Sasuke wouldn't be able to control the seal, thus, becoming another victim of Orochimaru's cursed seal. Itachi wanted nothing more than to rid his little brother of the seal, but he didn't know how to and even if he did, he needed Sasuke to cooperate and he knew that cooperation with others wasn't in Sasuke's vocabulary.

Instead, Itachi did something that in everyone's opinion was more efficient. Sasuke remembered all too well, because he could sense his brother's killing intent which meant he wasn't kidding. Itachi allowed Sasuke to have the seal, but if his little brother ever betrayed Konoha, Itachi would have no qualms with slicing Sasuke's throat immediately.

It was cruel, yes but nevertheless effective as Sasuke's resolve around controlling the seal doubled. He knew how one Mitarashi Anko managed to grow strong without depending on the seal and if she could do it, then for an Uchiha, it would be like a walk in the park. Sasuke was selfish and arrogant, but he wasn't foolish enough to challenge Itachi but that his brother already knew.

As the two combatants eyed each other, everyone could feel their anticipation regarding this fight grow. Naruto waited for a bit, until no one would interrupt him anymore, before he signaled for the fight to begin. As soon as he showed his hand, both Kiba and Sasuke vanished within a blur and exchanged a few punches against each other.

Kiba, with his canine traits, had the upper hand in strength but Sasuke was faster in the taijutsu department, hence how the Uchiha landed a fierce punch on Kiba's jaw sending him flying a few meters before Kiba flipped his body and landed safely on the ground. Though he had to stop a while to clean the blood that came from his mouth he was otherwise okay. Instantly molding some chakra, Kiba performed his clan's famous jutsu that allowed a human being to use all four limbs to move, instead of just his legs. Plus his canines and finger nails elongated.

Sasuke saw Kiba approaching fast, but he didn't need the Sharingan to predict Kiba's movements as he evaded the Inuzuka's charge. Sasuke was caught by surprise once he saw a white little dog charging at him from behind, but he managed to punch Akamaru's face sending the dog flying towards Kiba, who snarled at Sasuke for hurting his partner.

Charging once more, Kiba took four shuriken and threw them at Sasuke with considerable speed, forcing Sasuke to evade them all, but it served Kiba's purpose as it allowed him to land a fierce slash on Sasuke's stomach, ripping his navy blue shirt. Sasuke felt incredible pain as he looked at his chest only to see that three slashes were carved into his flesh and blood was pouring out of the wounds.

Focusing on the battle, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and went through some hand seals, before gathering as much oxygen as possible inside his lungs.

_**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu**_ (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu)

The fireball was considerably large, but Kiba and Akamaru managed to dodge by jumping to the air as Kiba gave a red pill to Akamaru. The dog suddenly grew in size and his fur was now fire red. Holding the ram seal, Akamaru jumped on top of Kiba's back.

_**Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu**_ (Beast Man Clone Jutsu)

Akamaru suddenly transformed into an exact replica of his owner as the two charged together against Sasuke. At first, Sasuke smiled since he was seeing everything with his sharingan, but the information given by his doujutsu made him frown as he recognized the Inuzuka's next technique. Although Sasuke managed to predict Kiba's movements, he wasn't fast enough to stop them from performing the **Gatsuuga** (Double Piercing Fang). Both the real and clone Kiba started spinning, until both of them created a spinning drill, charging Sasuke with the promise of causing immeasurable pain to the Uchiha.

As Sasuke saw the two spinning drills coming at him, he realized the weakness behind this technique. Because of his sharingan, he could see the movement in slow motion and he could see both Kiba and Akamaru's right hands were extended, hence why the technique simulated a drill. So, Sasuke had to avoid being hit by the extended hand or even attack it, eliminating the threat.

A smirk appeared on his lips as he started going through a number of hand seals.

_**Raiton Baisuu Rakurai**_ (Lightning Release: Multiple Thunderbolt Jutsu)

Immediately, two thunderbolts left Sasuke's hand, as each one charged towards each spinning drill, before the attack landed, stopping Kiba and Akamaru's movement immediately as thousands and thousands of volts ran through their veins in a minute. The dog was out cold instantly and Kiba was no better as his body was paralyzed. Even if he wasn't, the damage to his organs was too extensive and he was only seconds away from falling unconscious on the floor.

Sasuke, though, wasn't aware of Kiba's condition as he charged with a kunai in hand. Kiba was unable to even move a finger to stop it. Suddenly, as Sasuke was a couple inches away from hurting Kiba, quite to everyone's shock in the room, Naruto managed to grab the Uchiha's wrist, saving Kiba's life.

"As stated before, I can stop the fight when the opponent is unable to fight. Winner Uchiha Sasuke"

Sasuke looked at Naruto for a while, wondering why the hell he stopped Sasuke from landing the winning blow, while Haku's medic-nin team arrived to take care of Kiba and his dog. Naruto knew Sasuke's smug feelings of superiority to others and looked at the brooding Uchiha with a smile on his face, before the board indicated the next fight.

* * *

**Yamanaka Ino x Kin Tsuchi**

"Uchiha, you can't be here, Proceed to the upper levels. Now, the next fight shall begin immediately. Could the next combatants approach the arena, we don't have all day here"

Sasuke snarled at the blond a bit, before leaving the arena just as the ladies arrived. Somehow, he knew that he would be punished for what he attempted, but he didn't care. In his mind, he didn't do anything wrong. Kakashi's stern face, however, told him otherwise. He always drilled the word teamwork in the genins' minds and right now, Sasuke pretty much forgot that Kiba was a genin from Konoha just like him.

Back at the arena, Ino and Kin eyed each other.

Naruto already authorized the beginning of the battle, but neither made the first move as they were analyzing each other.

Suddenly, Ino grabbed a kunai with her left hand as she charged against Kin, but Ino lacked the necessary speed for a direct attack, allowing Kin to dodge the attack and land a fierce kick on Ino's back. Kin followed with a couple of shuriken that impaled Ino on her back quite to her team' shock as she fell on the ground dead. Kin was almost smiling at her victory, when the body turned out to be a tree log. The real Ino was behind her while doing hand seals.

_**Suiton Ja no Kuchi**_ (Water Release: Snake Head Jutsu)

The Oto genin was surprised by the sudden attack, but she was ill equipped to avoid as the huge snake opened its mouth, enveloping Kin. Since Kin was close to the wall, Ino's attack propelled her opponent towards it, before hitting her head on the wall, dropping unconscious on the ground.

The Yamanaka heir smiled triumphantly as Naruto declared her the winner. Suddenly the board sprang to life once more, before stopping.

**Sai x Sabaku no Temari**

As the opponents appeared at the arena, Naruto saw the battle fan on Temari's back and smiled. In his first years studying wind manipulation, he learned that wind chakra is very tough to manipulate without a proper instrument like a battle fan or a metalized weapon. However, later Naruto learned that by using more chakra, a shinobi can manipulate wind without the need of a catalyst.

Still, he was interested in what kinds of techniques this genin would show.

As soon as he authorized the battle, Sai charged at Temari with his broken sword, but Temari defended with her battle fan, before twisting her body and aiming a reverse kick at Sai. The Konoha genin saw the move, though, as he blocked the rather weak kick with his left arm. He then surprised everyone by landing a fierce knee to her jaw, sending Temari flying as she spit blood. Not wasting any time, Sai jumped in the air and sent Temari flying with a strong kick on her stomach.

Sai didn't want to waste any more time with this fight as he picked a blank scroll and his brush, before drawing some lions. Focusing some chakra, the creatures suddenly escaped from the scroll and charged the still flying Temari. The woman, for her part, was dizzy because of the brutal sequence of attacks. However, her blurred vision managed to see the creatures charging at her. She knew that the battle would be over if she didn't do anything to stop them.

Suddenly, opening her fan entirely, Temari sent a strong whirlwind at the lions and gave a sigh of relief as they disintegrated. Sai was in front of her as he charged at her once more, but this time Temari was prepared. Opening her fan entirely, she focused as much chakras as she could muster for one of her strong assaults.

_**Fuuton Kamaitachi (**__Wind Release: Cutting Whirlwind Jutsu__**)**_

A gigantic tornado was soon charging at the surprised Sai, who was caught in the tornado, while his body was suffering major cuts and bruises from the attack. Temari was confident that this attack would give her the victory, if not at least hinder him for her to deliver the winning blow, afterwards. However, she was surprised once Sai's body was replaced with a strange black substance as her attack ended.

Suddenly she had the desire to simply close her eyes and fall into a peaceful slumber as Sai materialized behind her back and landed a poisoned dart on her arm.

Temari only heard the cute proctor giving the victory to her opponent, before the medic-nins approached once more and took care of her.

As the fights were progressing, Minato was very content with his genins' display of skill so far. He was certain that they would grow to become legends just like their respective fathers and mothers, though in Sasuke's case, Minato wished he could follow after his mother, instead of his father Fugaku.

Looking at his son also made him smile as Naruto's authority was being respected without question from the genins. Suddenly, Minato saw something in Naruto's eyes that caused him to worry. Naruto was placed as proctor for the exam for the single reason that he could summon Gekkou .The wolf had the skill of detecting genjutsu from a mile away. No matter how skilled an opponent is with genjutsu, the wolf could detect them immediately.

Following Naruto's line of sight, Minato saw the jounin from Otogakure from the corner of his eye. Upon first appearances, the man was pretty much normal. Black long hair tied in a pony tail, pale almost white skin and wearing only black clothes. If Naruto was looking at this man in particular, then it was because Gekkou warned him. Looking closely, Minato saw some resemblance to the sannin Orochimaru and he smiled for a bit.

For now, he wouldn't do anything. Clearly, Orochimaru liked to play games, saying he was here the entire time without anyone noticing. Also, if Minato acted right now, there was a chance that the snake sannin had a backup plan to escape, thus ruining the opportunity to skin the treacherous serpent. For now, Minato would live with the knowledge that Orochimaru could hide his chakra and be aware of the usage of advanced henges. Looking back at his son, he signaled the chunnin to proceed with the fights, earning a nod.

* * *

**Nara Shikamaru x Haruno Sakura**

Immediately as his name appeared, Shikamaru let out a groan in frustration for two reasons. First was the troublesome idea of having to fight once more after spending five whole days inside that damn forest and the second was the idea of fighting against the opposite sex. He could say beating on a woman was his least enjoyable activity. Shikamaru didn't have time to ponder, though, as Ino pushed him over the balcony resulting in him falling hard on the floor.

Upon looking at the troublesome woman, Shikamaru let out another groan in frustration before he picked himself up and cleaned the debris that landed on his clothing due to the fall.

Placing both hands inside his pockets, the Nara heir walked peacefully towards the center of the arena where Naruto and Sakura were waiting for him. The blond smiled at his lazy friend, since he knew that getting things done just wasn't Shikamaru's forte. Naruto knew Shikamaru would rather lie on the grass and watch the clouds pass by without a care in the world than having to fight right now…especially against a girl.

As the two genins positioned in front of each other, Naruto looked from one to the other one last time, before authorizing the battle.

Sakura didn't waste her time and charged Shikamaru with hand seals for a simple bunshin jutsu. She knew Shikamaru to be smart, probably the brightest mind of their generation, but she was counting on the two clones to trick him. However, the Nara heir just stood there as the two Sakuras attacked him with their fists. They passed right by him, like he didn't exist, until Shikamaru blocked the real Sakura's punch with his right arm.

"How did you know the first ones were clones?" Sakura asked, as the two were locking their arms for a second.

"Huh, what a drag. Out of the three, only you had a shadow. My family's technique relies heavily on shadow manipulation and if there's one thing every Nara knows to pay attention to it's the enemy's shadow. It says a lot about the technique or rather the enemy's position."

Sakura grinded her teeth and backed away from her opponent, however as she was about to perform evasive maneuvers, she was feeling weird. It was like she couldn't move her body, no matter how much her mind willed it to move. Looking down, she realized in shock the reason as Shikamaru spoke once more.

"Another thing you should know Sakura is to never get too close to a Nara, we can control our shadow and bind yours, thus controlling your body movements."

The moment Shikamaru stopped talking, he was already positioning a kunai inches from Sakura's jugular. Sakura was doing the same, but without a kunai.

Naruto already saw enough as he gave the victory to Shikamaru, quite to Sakura's protest, since he had yet to land a finger on her to which Naruto gladly explained.

"If you were an enemy, you'd be dead right now. Shikamaru was holding a kunai within inches of your throat. One slice and you'd be dead." Naruto explained, much to Sakura's frustration at being beaten so easily by Shikamaru. However, as much as she tried to protest, in her mind, she knew Naruto was right. Shikamaru could easily kill her if he so wished to. It didn't mean, though, that her proud personality would acknowledge said fact.

* * *

**Sabaku no Gaara x Akado Yoroi**

As the two genins approached the arena, Naruto and the others focused their attention on Gaara. All of they could feel the potent chakra this kid exhaled and Naruto could see Gekkou's apprehension as he followed Gaara's movements. Naruto knew this to be troublesome, seeing as to this moment, this was the first time he ever saw Gekkou behaving like this. Clearly, something was off about this kid and apparently his father was suspicious as well.

Signaling for the genins to begin, Yoroi was quick to charge Gaara with a kunai on his right hand, but as soon as he approached Gaara, the man's instincts prevented him from being hit by the sand that erupted from the suna genin's sand container. Now, as Gaara ushered his sand against the disguised Konoha genin, Yoroi kept dodging as best as he could but was failing as the sand was scratching his limbs. Suddenly, Gaara expanded the sand until it surrounded his opponent. Yoroi found little room to escape as the sand slowly buried him underneath, until his body was completely under the sand.

Gaara, while extending his hands, was smiling like a maniac craving for Yoroi's blood. As soon as Gaara closed his hands, everyone could hear the shouts of pain from within the sand, before blood spilled everywhere. It was a gruesome scene as a couple of the kunoichi closed their eyes in fear at what they just witnessed. What was worse was that Gaara's face betrayed his emotions. He was smiling from ear to ear as the thought of killing another human being filled his mind with desire. Naruto was watching the entire thing, but he was ill prepared to stop it from happening. Granted, killing was allowed in the exams, but doing so in such a gruesome manner felt odd to him.

Looking at his father, Naruto was surprised to see that he stood from his chair and was fixing his gaze on the Suna genin.

Unknown to Naruto, Minato knew what he felt and it wasn't human. He wasn't sure how, but this Gaara exuded demon chakra in that jutsu of his. It shouldn't be possible, unless…The Fourth Hokage didn't want to complete his line of though. He always dreaded the existence of these particular individuals named Jinchuuriki or more accurately, demon jailers. Minato admitted knowing very little about this type of human being, but he knew about the history behind them and how the Shodaime Hokage provided each hidden village one bijuu as an act of good faith.

The fight continued on as another genin from Suna engaged a genin from Konoha called Tsurugi Misumi. Although Minato admitted never hearing about this man before in his life, his mind was more concerned with the thought of having to deal with a jinchuuriki in the upcoming war. Minato paid little mind as the Suna genin turned out to be a puppeteer, winning his battle by crushing Misumi with his puppet.

Next in line was Chouza's kid Chouji against a genin from Otogakure, but the fight ended as soon as it began. Chouji tried to run over his opponent with his meat grinder technique, but Dosu just dodged, before seeing Chouji colliding with the arena wall. All the man had to do was to place his sound producing arm near Chouji and he was unconscious soon after.

* * *

**Aburame Shino x Hyuuga Hinata**

Back to Naruto, he called the last two genins of the preliminary match. The blond was enjoying these matches greatly as a great level of skills was displayed by the genins. Now, two of Konoha's famous clans would once again face against each other and Naruto was eager to see who would win. The Hyuuga's doujutsu was a fearsome weapon to face, but surely the Aburame's bugs were not to be treated lightly.

As the genins stood in front of each other, Naruto took his time to observe them.

Just like any Aburame, Shino was reserved as he stood with both hands inside his coat pockets. Black shades prevented anyone from openly guessing his thoughts regarding Hinata, but from experience, Naruto didn't need much to tell that Shino must have considered every logical point of view even before the board indicated to whom he would face up against. Hinata, for her part, was looking at her opponent with a firm resolve, quite different than any Hyuuga out there. Normally, a Hyuuga would look at others with severe disrespect, almost on the verge of openly admitting the other as inferior, but not Hinata.

Just like Neji, Hinata looked at her opponent with respect as expected from an honored shinobi. Smiling, Naruto wondered just who managed to mold such a personality into the little girl. Her father couldn't be, simply because Naruto knew how strict the man was to upholding the clan's costumes. Perhaps Neji or even her sensei Kurenai to whom Hinata greatly respected not only as a jounin, but also as one of the top kunoichi of Konoha.

Needless to say, this fight will be the best one from this exam.

Within a second, Hinata already positioned her body into the famous jyuuken stance as she was prepared to give her all. Shino, though, remained with his hands inside his pockets, but Naruto just knew he was up to something. As soon as he signaled the beginning of the most promising match, Hinata vanished. She was in front of Shino, instantly much to the Aburame's shocked expression. He tried to dodge, but it was too late since Hinata already managed to land a powerful jyuuken strike to his main chakra tenketsu located near his stomach.

The battle was over before it began as Shino slowly fell on the ground, unconscious. Suddenly, his body disintegrated into bugs, surprising Hinata, but her Byakugan was activate the entire time, hence how she managed to block the incoming punch that came from her back, until she twisted her other arm, attempting to land a jyuuken strike to his arm, but Shino knew more than enough of his teammate's abilities, hence why he preferred to take evasive actions. As he made back flips, Shino started making hand seals, quite to Naruto's surprise, since he knew those hand seals and was surprised to see a genin with this peculiar ability.

_**Fuuton Reppushou**__ (Wind Release: Gale Wind Palm Jutsu)_

The concentrated jet of wind charged at Hinata, but because of the Byakugan, she could see the wind approaching her position, allowing evasion maneuvers. As soon as the wind projectile passed by, Hinata charged at Shino with great speed, while dodging Shino's bugs from sucking her chakra dry. Problem was some bugs managed to have a feast with Hinata's chakra, but not enough to impair her and end the battle. As soon as she approached Shino, Hinata started to perform a considerable series of hand seals, as water began to gather around her.

_**Suiton Mizukadou**__ (Water Release: Water Vortex Jutsu)_

Suddenly, Hinata started spinning like the Kaiten, as the water around her accompanied her movement. Shino just observed as Hinata started approaching fast to his position. He managed to avoid it by jumping in the air, but Hinata actually counted on this, as she threw a couple of shuriken at him. Shino looked at the flying projectiles and narrowed his eyebrows at Hinata's resolve on this fight. Summoning some bugs, they started swirling around him, defending him from the projectiles as he fell on the hard floor.

Hinata, however, wouldn't let it slide as she fell into a familiar Hyuuga stance.

"You're in my field of divination, Shino…"

Not long after Hinata warned Shino, she was already by his side, as she delivered one of the Hyuuga's most potent attacks. However, by the sixteenth strike, Shino's body suddenly disintegrated once more into bugs, halting Hinata's movement instantly. However, as she looked at the bugs surrounding her, something felt different. The lights on the stadium were starting to diminish and a heavy fog was starting to form. The Hyuuga genin's eyes were slowly closing as suddenly Hinata wanted nothing more than to sleep. She was so engrossed in the fog's effect that she didn't pay attention to what her all-seeing eye was telling her, until it was too late.

Her chakra was all but sucked by the bugs. However she didn't fell on the floor as Naruto was right there to stop her fall. It was an interesting match and certainly Hinata was captured in a genjutsu. Well, points for Shino on that one.

"Winner of the last fight…Shino Aburame"

As Shino went up to the balcony, Naruto walked towards the middle of the arena and issued the end of the preliminary matches. A while later, the genins stood in front of Naruto, who happened to be standing in front of the Hokage and the rest of the attending jounins.

"To those who made it to the main match of the Chunnin Exam's Third Part, congratulations are in order"

Minato eyed every genin that now stood in front of him with a smile on his face.

Five genins from Konoha, two from Suna and one from the Sound hidden village; frankly a better result than he hoped for as the genins from Konoha managed to display a great level of skill and will certainly improve at the third exam, granted nothing happens that would force the village to abandon the exams for its own safety.

"Your main match fights will be shown in front of everyone. We wish for all of you to show off your abilities as your country's representative power. Therefore, the main matches will begin in one month time" At the startled looks, Minato explained. "The one month time is to conduct appropriate preparations. We are going to announce to the feudal lords and head ninjas of individual countries that the preliminary matches have ended. And time is needed to gather those people for the main matches."

Every one of the genins seemed to understand the reasons, but Minato wasn't finished as he explained one more thing which was crucial to the upcoming matches.

"Also, this one month time will serve as preparation for you candidates. These preliminary were held in a way that none of you knew about the other's abilities. Now, though, every one of you knows how the other fights. Therefore, the one month time will serve for each one of you to train more and hopefully come up with new skills to surprise your opponents. Now, in order to determine who will be paired against whom, please form a line and grab a number from the box my son is holding.

After the genins picked their numbers from the box, Naruto asked them to announce it. After looking at the white balls, everyone showed the number to Naruto, while announcing it.

"3" Said Uchiha Sasuke, showing a stoic demeanor, like he was sure to beat everyone he'd be faced against.

"4" Said Aburame Shino, while adjusting his glasses

"...troublesome, I picked number 8" Said Nara Shikamaru with a groan that could be heard a mile away

"Ah...mine is 5" Said Yamanaka Ino as she wondered what the hell the numbers were for.

"2" Sabaku no Gaara said

"1" Sai, already getting suspicious at his bad luck, even though he didn't know what would happen.

"6" Sabaku no Kankuro said with clear boredom on his face.

"7" Kinuta Dosu said, being the last one to announce.

As Naruto was busy writing something on a piece of paper, the genins were becoming annoyed as they had yet to hear the reason behind the numbers and which order would be followed concerning the fights. The blond proctor took his time to write every name, before he looked up to see the genin's faces, staring at him.

"Now, as Hokage-sama explained, the numbers determine your battle positions on this tournament chart." Naruto said, as he flipped his piece of paper so that every genin in the room could see. Sai cursed his bad luck once more as his suspicion was true. He would be facing Gaara of all people.

Sasuke made a sound of boredom as his opponent was the Aburame. To Sasuke, the notion that his opponent came from one of Konoha's famous clans told him that he was in for quite a battle and Shino was a tough one, even if appearance alone wasn't much from the Sharingan's point of view. Shikamaru, for his part, was just content as he wouldn't face a woman, although Dosu was a tough shinobi.

Seeing as his job was pretty much over for now, Naruto released the genins to meet him at the arena in one month from now, earning a nod from the chunnin hopefuls.

After that, every final participant left to their respective training regiments in order to incorporate new skills to their repertoire and increase the already existing ones.

* * *

**===One week time skip===**

One week had already passed since the end of the preliminaries and the genins were trying their best to improve their skills.

It was now night time in Konoha as the moon illuminated the entire village with its bright white light. However, where is light there is always shadow. Because of this, three presences managed to find a place where they could hide from the constant Anbu surveillance scouts. The final matches were only three weeks away and the plan was in its final preparations.

"So, it appears that Konoha is already wary of a possible invasion." Baki said, as his face appeared from the shadows. He addressed a man with gray hair and ponytail as he fixed his glasses that were until now reflecting the moonlight, before the man's menacing eyes showed and a smile was evident on his face.

"Indeed, The Yondaime Hokage is tightening the village's security, but whether Konoha knows about the war or not, it's unclear to us. For all we know, the man is just increasing its security for the noble's arrival. I hear that some Daimyo will attend the exams."

The third shadow now appeared as the Iwa headband glistened because of the moonlight. His size easily doubled that of Kabuto and his bulky muscles were proof of Iwa's strength. He had brown eyes and his black hair fell to shoulder's length. A minor scar was located on his left cheek, probably caused by a kunai or a sword's slash.

"Granted that Konoha managed to capture some of my ninjas, it's wrong to underestimate their efforts of protection. It's wise to remember that Konoha survived through the two last great shinobi wars relatively unscathed compared to Iwa."

Iwaso was his name and his logic rivaled that of the Aburame Clan, much to Kabuto and Baki's constant snarl. None of them liked him and the fact that he was constantly berating the alliance's plans was quite unnerving. To them, every damn Iwa shinobi was against Konoha plain and simple. Mindless drones, ready to lose their lives in battle, their shinobi should be thankful to Orochimaru for presenting them the opportunity to crush Konoha for good.

Suddenly, a thick white mist started gathering around the three as Kabuto cursed Konoha once more. Luckily, he knew this to be only standard procedure in order to gauge whether or not they were planning something. If they attacked, immediate retaliation was in order, if they remained still, nothing would happen. Still, the three just vanished from their positions, earning a sigh in dismay from Zabuza as he wanted to decapitate someone today. It was the thought of how much he could kill in three weeks time that convinced him to continue his scouting mission. Granted no one made a move yet, but still Zabuza was ready.

Little did he know, though, that every war has consequences and that he would find out the worst pain a father could suffer.

* * *

**===the date of the exams===**

On the date of the final exam, the entire Konoha stadium was shaking in excitement. This exam was very promising as the heir of the Uchiha Clan would be participating along with the heirs from the Nara and Yamanaka Clans as well. Also two of the Kazekage's sons would participate. Certainly, for the many bystanders, this exam showed great promise.

However, to those aware of the possibility of an invasion, every second that passed was like torture. To many of the shinobi disguised within the audience, the feeling of dread only intensified at the thought of facing three villages at once. However, to the elite of the elites, fear was something they cared very little about. Konoha's pride was amongst its elites and where talent wasn't enough, teamwork would fill in to better protect the village.

As the chairs were starting to be filled, Minato had already arrived next to his sensei Jiraiya on the Kage stand as they waited for the Kazekage to appear. The genins were already in the middle of the arena together with Naruto, who by the way was resting his hands inside his pockets, while waiting for the Hokage to address the crowd initiating the final matches of the exams.

Back at the Kage Stand, Minato's attention turned to the presence of the Kazekage who arrived with two of Suna's jounins.

"Greetings, Hokage-dono, Jiraiya of the Sannin, it's a pleasure."

Both Minato and Jiraiya were aware of the possibility of Orochimaru impersonating someone with great influence. It was the perfect cover, seeing as none of them would be stupid enough to question any high official personnel based on speculations alone. Certainly Orochimaru wouldn't underestimate anyone, either. He was a sannin after all.

"Greetings Kazekage-dono, thank you for coming. I trust the trip here wasn't too taxing on your part."

"Not at all, it's I who appreciate the invitation. Certainly, the Uchiha will prove to be quite a show against my Gaara." Said the Kazekage, which earned a slight smile from Minato and Jiraiya.

"Uchiha Sasuke is extremely gifted, but he has yet to win his first round against Aburame Shino. Also, Sai is no pushover. Indeed, these exams will prove to be quite entertaining, Kazekage-dono"

Suddenly, a jounin materialized behind Jiraiya as he whispered something in his ear.

The Kazekage eyed the two from the corner of his eye, while Jiraiya told Minato that the stadium was already filled and that he could give the speech to which Minato nodded, before getting up. As the Hokage gave the audience a warming welcome, the Kazekage looked at Minato's figure with a smile on his face. But it wasn't the usual smile that he showed so far, it was carried with enough malice that showed nothing but the very intent to watch Konoha burn to the ground.

_Indeed, the exams will be quite entertaining, but neither you nor Konoha will live to see the end of it Minato-kun._

* * *

**Author Note**

Okay, I'll stop right here for now.

I intend to focus the entire invasion next chapter. Once the shits hits the fan, who will emerge victorious, three hidden villages, driven by past hatreds while manipulated by one man whose only wish is vengeance for not being chosen as Kage or Konoha, a single yet powerful village that so far managed to withstand its ground throughout all the tribulations ever since its foundation.

Which side will win no one knows (except me of course), but it's certain that blood will be spilled from both sides and some losses may never be forgotten.

See ya all next chapter as Naruto gets his taste of war and how much damage past wounds can cause.


	26. The Invasion Part I

**Author Note**

Hello and welcome to another chapter of 'Full Moon'.

I know it's taking way longer than usual for my updates and once again, I'm sorry for it. The same excuse…loads and loads of work nonstop. But what can I do, right?

Well, moving on…I was having trouble deciding whether or not to apply Kushina's cannon skills and pass them on to her son, but I decided against it. In this story, Naruto developed skills of his own and those will be developed along the ongoing chapters.

Now, enough with the rambling…let's begin the chapter and I assure you…it's filled with action.

* * *

**Chapter 26 – The Invasion Part 1**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

It was a sunny day in Konoha and the village was filled with tourists and merchants from all over the elemental nations.

All of them were in Konoha for one single purpose, to see the final part of the Chunnin Exams. The Stadium was filled with people, all but interested in seeing what this new crop of genins could do. One of Konoha's largest and equally famous clan – Uchiha – has one of its offspring competing.

"I bet everything on the Uchiha to win…" Said the Daimyou of Grass Country as he turned to his two ninja guards and nodded for them to place the bets.

Other Daimyos placed their bets on the Uchiha as well, since the boy was considered easy money, compared to the other contestants.

Besides Sasuke, though, only the Kazekage's son Gaara had a considerable beting crowd. Based on the kid's record, he's been through tough missions until now and returned unscathed. Surely that meant something as a few shinobis decided to vote on him to win.

As everyone was taking their seats, one single presence could be seen in the middle of the arena. The son of the Yondaime Hokage stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the Hokage's signal to start the match. Next to him was his wolf partner Gekkou seating in a relaxed position while taking a look at the ravaging crowd around them. To be honest, the wolf was intimidated at the sheer number of people attending these exams.

Naruto, for his part, was looking at the audience while spotting the hidden Anbu amongst the crowd.

Yondaime's best guess was that if an attack was to happen, it would be right here where all the Daimyos and their respective dignitaries were located. That's why behind every Daimyou, at least two Anbu members could be seen, in disguise. Now looking at the Kage Box, he saw his father discussing something with the Kazekage and his godfather Jiraiya perhaps about the upcoming matches.

Suddenly, he took a brief look at his father to see that he had just stood up to announce the beginning of the last phase of the Chunnin Exams.

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Konoha's Last Phase of the Chunnin Exams" As soon as Minato spoke, the crowd screamed from their stands. The Hokage waited until the noise died down, before he continued. "These fighters, before you, showed incredible skills thus far but now they must face each other in a battle one on one. As you're probably aware, this last phase will work like a tournament, however each fight will be accounted for regarding a chunnin promotion. A shinobi doesn't necessarily have to win in order to become a chunnin if he or she displayed enough skills to be granted the promotion. With that said, let the Chunnin Exams begin…."

With the signal to begin, Naruto called in the first two contestants before seeing them materialize in front of him. One appeared through a small storm of sand and the other through a swirl of ink.

"Okay, first match of this year's Chunnin Exams will be Sai of the Hidden Leaf against Sabaku no Gaara from the Hidden Sand. You two know the rules, there are none. However, I have the power to intervene in the battle."

Taking a moment to look at the opponents to see if they had any opposition, Naruto signaled them to begin.

Sai didn't waste any time and unrolled an empty scroll, before drawing and summoning ink lions at his opponent. The ferocious beasts all charged at Gaara the same time, but all of them vanished as Gaara's sand barrier protected him. The Root Anbu in disguise knew this was going to happen as he memorized every aspect of Gaara's file. He charged straight at the Suna-nin as he threw barrage after barrage of shuriken, hoping to confuse Gaara's defensive mechanism.

One thing that wasn't clear in the file was whether Gaara was in control of his sand defense or if it was automatic, like some sort of kekkei genkai.

All the shuriken were blocked by the sand, though three got stuck inside. Sai was surprised when a sudden sand replica of Gaara grabbed the shuriken, before throwing them back at the disguised Root Anbu Shinobi, forcing him to use his sword to deflect them. While defending, he saw that the clone was charging him from his blind side. Using nothing but agility, Sai flipped in the air and landed a strong roundhouse kick in the clone's neck, dispelling him instantly. He, then, focused some chakra on his legs and charged Gaara with speeds unknown to a genin, surprising the audience a bit.

Upon arriving inches from Gaara's position, he evaded the sand that erupted from the ground and appeared on Gaara's back. The sand was ill equipped to protect Gaara from Sai's quick punch and he was sent skidding a couple meters. The hit, though, only cracked his suna armor a bit, but was enough to warrant a vicious smile on the kid's face. His opponent was strong and he would prove his existence by killing him.

Focusing on a sequence of hand seals, as he saw Sai preparing to battle him in Taijutsu, Gaara once again showed that vicious smile of his.

"I'll kill you and prove my existence, **Sabaku Kyuu** (Desert Coffin)."

As soon as Sai stood a few inches from Gaara once more, he was surprised to see sand gripping his legs, holding him in place. The sand, then, started to envelope the Root Anbu entirely. Gaara was extending his hand open at Sai's position, laughing like a hyena as he would once again prove his existence.

His mother would certainly be proud of him.

"Now die…**Sabaku Sousou** (Desert Funeral)"

The sand coffin crushed Sai, but instead of blood being sprawled on the arena, Gaara was met with a great ball of ink. The ink suddenly materialized into a great number of snakes, who wrapped around the confused Gaara as they started squeezing his body hard. As Gaara saw a few more cracks at his sand armor, he realized that a strategic exit was in order, before killing his opponent. Quickly using a Sand Kawarimi, Gaara appeared next to Naruto as he started looking around the arena for his opponent.

Sai was hidden behind a few trees located at the far west corner of the arena.

So far, Gaara proved to be invincible with that sand of his and looking at his arsenal of abilities, he knew that the odds of winning this match were close to zero. His teachers explained to him that fleeing from a battle doesn't necessarily mean that you lost. Sometimes, when the odds are against you, the only available option would be to admit defeat and save the battle for some other time. Sai would surely wish he had a camera to film Gaara's face when he came clean.

Surely, Danzou wouldn't mind what he was about to do. Suddenly, Sai materialized in front of Naruto and Gaara, before raising his right hand.

"Proctor, I give up." Sai said earning a nod from Naruto and like the kid expected a conflicted face from Gaara.

"The winner of the first round is Gaara of the Hidden Sand."

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, the crowd erupted with cheer at the great display of skills.

"You two please go back to the booth…now…" Naruto said but stopped once he saw that Gaara wanted to fight, sending his sand towards Sai, who was caught by surprise. Not having time to escape, Sai was sure this time he would die, however Naruto quickly appeared in front of the incoming sand and focused some wind chakra, dispersing it instantly.

"I already gave the victory to you Genin. Stand down or I'll be forced to take action…" Naruto's tone was firm and he elevated his killing intent to prove his point.

At first, Gaara didn't move. He stared at the blond man in front of him, with an impassive face. However, he suddenly held his head in pain. Naruto was already waiting for something to happen, before Gaara removed his hands from his head and went to the genin booth as instructed by the proctor. The blond knew something was wrong with this kid. Gaara was on the verge of madness and all of a sudden, he just nodded and went to the genin booth like nothing happened.

"Now, will Uchiha Sasuke of the Leaf and Aburame Shino of the Leaf approach the arena…?"

Naruto wanted to investigate this Gaara but he was the proctor of the exams. As he saw the next contestants walking towards him, he started focusing on the petulant Uchiha. Naruto remembered how Sasuke behaved at the Chunnin Exams Preliminaries, going all out on killing Inuzuka Kiba with the sole purpose of winning the match. Now, since Itachi and Kakashi taught him, Naruto was worried that Sasuke would want to show off his skills.

* * *

**===the Kage Box===**

The Kages were impressed with Sai's skills, both physical and tactics, although Minato didn't like Gaara's attitude one bit.

"Quite explosive your son is wouldn't you say Kazekage-dono?" Minato said, earning a nod from Jiraiya as he looked at Gaara with severe scrutiny. It was clear now that the kid was a Jinchuuriki, a demon jailer. Which one, though, they didn't know. However, the mere fact that such an opponent may be used against Konoha sent shivers to Jiraiya's spine.

The Kazekage gave a simple laugh at Minato's proclamation.

"Yes, well my Gaara gets a little bit emotional when facing such a strong opponent. Don't worry, though, Hokage-dono, it won't happen again. Now, I'm more eager to see what Uchiha Sasuke can do against the Aburame."

If it was one thing that both Minato and Jiraiya could say about the Kazekage it was that he was quite the politician.

* * *

**===Back at the Arena===**

Once Sasuke and Shino stood face to face, Naruto eyed both of them, waiting a bit to give the signal. As soon as his hand went down, the fight started but neither of the opponents moved, just confident in observing the other. Shino was accustomed to the rational side of fighting, which meant he would never be the one to start the fight. Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't the rational individual, although he couldn't be called irrational up to the point of attacking head on.

Suddenly, as Sasuke saw Shino's bugs preparing to attack, he started a considerable series of hand seals just as the swarm of insects charged at Sasuke.

_**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu **(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)_

However, quite to Sasuke's surprise, the bugs circled around the huge fireball and attacked him once more, forcing the Uchiha to scatter from his usual position. He evaded the swarm of insects using his bare speed and appeared on his back, aiming a solid kick to his side stomach. However, Shino trained his taijutsu knowing that Sasuke would be his opponent. Therefore, he used his arm to defend Sasuke's kick, before aiming a strong punch at Sasuke's jaw. The attack only met air, though, as Sasuke was already on the ground, landing a fierce kick at the Aburame's right leg. He, then, managed to connect a front kick on Shino's chest, sending him flying.

Wasting no time at all, Sasuke went through another series of hand seals, firing smaller but consecutive fireballs towards his opponent.

At first, the fireballs connected causing Sasuke to smile. However, he frowned once he saw his opponent transforming into a swarm of bugs. Activating his Sharingan, he was able to follow Shino's trace of chakra. He managed to locate the Aburame, but he was too late, considering that Shino was just finishing the last hand seal for a very strong fuuton jutsu.

_**Fuuton Daitoppa** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu)_

Sasuke was sent flying because of the technique, while cursing Shino. While flying, his eyes caught Shino's movements as the Aburame appeared right next to him, ready to deliver a solid blow to his chest. However and only based on the image shown by the Sharingan, Sasuke managed to defend the kick, before flipping his body and punching Shino on the face, sending him skidding a few meters. As he landed on the ground, though, he realized that his body suffered some minor cuts from Shino's jutsu.

Sasuke was surprised when the swarm of insects managed to reach his location. They started sucking his chakra dry, leaving him no alternative other than to use the replacement technique.

The crowd was cheering for both of them as both displayed amazing skills so far.

Sasuke then charged Shino in straight taijutsu, forcing the Aburame on the defensive with his bugs. Sasuke, this time, managed to dodge the incoming swarm and stood inches from Shino's position, not giving him time to summon another swarm of bugs. Because of this, the Aburame was forced to defend himself as best as he could. However, close combat was no match to the Sharingan and Sasuke managed to anticipate Shino's every move, countering them all with solid hits. After a strong kick, Shino took advantage of the distance created between them and took out a kunai, before channeling wind chakra through it. Sasuke was so self-absorbed in defeating Shino, that he didn't see the attack coming.

It was because of his Sharingan that Sasuke managed to avoid the fatal slash from Shino's kunai as he flipped his body and landed a strong kick to Shino's neck, knocking him out.

"Aburame Shino is incapacitated. Winner is Uchiha Sasuke".

After Naruto annunciated the winner, the crowd screamed. Some because of how much money they just won from betting at the Uchiha and others from revering the clan. From the crowd, everyone could hear how loud Sakura was cheering at her crush and everyone could hear the rest of the Rookie 9 sighing in exasperation at the girl's never ending crush on the arrogant Uchiha. It was really annoying.

Back at the arena, it was time for the third fight.

"Now it's time for the third fight between Yamanaka Ino of the Leaf and Sabaku no Kankuro of the Sand. Will both contestants approach the center of the arena?"

The fights so far proved to be quite a show to the audience as they were able to see some outstanding abilities displayed by the genins. Certainly, this next one would be just as entertaining.

"Proctor, I forfeit…" Kankuro shouted, shocking the crowd as they expected another good fight. Ino, for her part, was about to leave the genin booth and head to the arena when she looked at her opponent, or rather the man to whom she was about to face against. She was expecting to show off her skills in order to impress the chuunin judges. Ino still was a proud member of the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club, but as daughter of the Yamanaka Clan, she was also a proud kunoichi.

_Damn it, one less fight to show them my skills…this way I won't be able to pass…_

Naruto nodded at the forfeit request, though he wondered the real reason behind it. Nonetheless, it was now time for the last fight before the semifinals.

"Would Nara Shikamaru of the Leaf and Kinuta Dosu of the Sound join the arena…?"

After annunciating the final match, Naruto swore he heard Shikamaru muttering his favorite word, before being thrown by Ino from the balcony.

"Troublesome woman, why did you push me off the damn balcony?"

Ino just smiled before she started cheering on her friend and teammate, earning a sigh in response from the Nara as he got up from the ground. Cleaning his clothes a bit, he saw when his opponent passed by him, not even bothering to look at him, like he was sure of the victory. Putting both hands inside his pockets, Shikamaru took his time to reach the center of the arena quite like Naruto thought he would. Shikamaru was probably the most intelligent genin in Konoha, but he was just as lazy if not more so.

After a while, the Nara heir stood next to Naruto as he eyed Dosu with apparent boredom, but inside, he was analyzing every bit of the situation.

This guy managed to beat Chouji at the preliminaries and Shikamaru knew the man used some sort of mechanism on his arm, although he wasn't entirely sure what it was. One thing his father told him was to look out for this man. Considering where he came from and who the leader of the village was, Nara Shikaku was insistent on telling Shikamaru to seize every damn opportunity in the field. Shikamaru, for his chance, didn't need to hear it from his father. He knew how dangerous this guy could be if given the opportunity.

As soon as Naruto signaled the go, Dosu managed some hand signs.

_**Oto Nami no Jutsu** (Sound Wave Technique)_

Soon after completing the hand seals, Dosu focused chakra on his gray gadget and sent an almost invincible wave at the surprised Shikamaru. However, the boy knew enough to trust his instincts of survival, seeing as he couldn't see his opponent's attack. He jumped to the sidem just as the almost invisible wave of air passed through him, before he threw a great barrage of shurikens at the sound genin. Dosu simply used his gadget and blocked the ones that were aimed at him, though, while watching the others passing by.

Instantly, Shikamaru was at him with plain taijutsu, though for Naruto it was strange considering a Nara wouldn't feel the need for such close combat.

He aimed a straight kick at Dosu's sternum, before the sound genin managed to grab his leg with a smirk.

"Say goodbye to this leg of yours…" Dosu said, before he lifted his left arm where the gadget was located. However, just when he was about to chop Shikamaru's leg off, his body went stiff all of a sudden. He was well aware of the boy's clan and knew about their shadow manipulation ability. That's why when he looked down he wasn't surprised that both shadows were intertwining with each other. The Nara heir, for his part, smirked at his plan.

"_**Kagemane no Jutsu** (Shadow imitation technique)…_success. It took me a while to understand your skills. I was hoping to see while you were fighting Chouji at the preliminaries, but it was over before I could understand what or rather how that little instrument of yours works. Your last technique, though, helped me in figuring out. By focusing chakra through it, it can emit sound waves, almost invincible to the human eye. If that attack hit me, I would probably be deaf right now."

"Very clever Konoha genin….nevertheless, you're in no position to count yourself victorious. From what I heard of your clan, after binding the opponent's shadow, both movements would be mirrored. What can you do in order to defeat me when I'm holding your leg right now, huh? Also, you won't be able to bind me for too long and when I escape your head will be mine."

The smile on Shikamaru's face confused Dosu, though.

He was considered a very logical individual and he knew that Shikamaru wouldn't be able to do a thing to him. When he saw a series of hand seals that he also started as well, Dosu narrowed his eyes.

"You should've read more about my family, before making a bold claim that all we can do is bind shadows. We can control them as well."

_**Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu** (Shadow Neck Bind Technique)_

Dosu saw the shadow crawling over his body until a hand like shape enveloped his neck, frightening the sound genin.

Without waiting long, Shikamaru executed the finishing blow, breaking the man's neck, instantly killing him. Some members of the audience gasped at this, including his teammates Chouji and Ino. Their teammate was probably the laziest human being ever, but to them he would never hurt someone needlessly. Dosu's body fell to the ground and his only visible eye became hollow. Naruto, then, approached the boy and placed two fingers on his neck in order to feel any lingering pulse, but he couldn't feel anything.

He, then, looked at Shikamaru for an instant, before getting up in order to announce the winner of this match.

"Nara Shikamaru is the winner of the last match. Now, the competitors that managed to qualify will have twenty minutes to rest and save their chakra for the next matches."

After he announced the break, he turned his back to Shikamaru and joined his wolf partner. Shikamaru, though, felt like Naruto was disappointed in him for what he did.

"Naruto-sempai…" Shikamaru called, before he saw Naruto turn his neck. The Jounin could see some level of regret in his visage and he remembered the first time he took a life in order to protect his friend Neji.

"You don't need to explain your reasons Shikamaru, at least not to me. Take a break and conserve your chakra for the next round. I have a feeling you'll be needing every drop of it very soon"

Shikamaru nodded and left the arena as he saw the crowd talking amongst themselves while waiting for the next round of fights to commence. While walking towards the genin booth, Shikamaru wondered about his first kill. Nara Shikamaru knew about the shinobi line of work and he knew that killing pretty much came with the package. However, it was one thing to know about it and another to feel it. As he passed by the genin booth, he walked inside an empty hallway in order to get some water and cool off somehow.

However, he was surprised to see his sensei standing there lighting a cigarette, as if nothing happened.

"Asuma-sensei…" Shikamaru was afraid that Asuma would berate him for what he did, but after seeing the man's relaxed posture, he was surprised to see otherwise.

After hearing his name, Asuma smiled at his student. He could see that the boy needed someone to talk to after what happened.

"Come Shikamaru, let's get a bottle of water for you and you can tell me everything…"

Shikamaru nodded and approached the jounin, before sensing the man's hand patting his shoulder, in a very comforting way.

* * *

**===Twenty minutes after===**

After the break, Naruto approached the center of the arena and announced the beginning of the semi-finals.

"Okay, then, now for the first fight of the semi-finals. Will Uchiha Sasuke of the Leaf and Sabaku no Gaara of the Sand approach the center of the arena…"

It didn't take long before Naruto could see the two fighters appear next to him. The Jounin could see the vicious smile on Gaara's face, as if the boy was carving for more blood to be spilled. Naruto didn't care much for the Uchiha, but the blond was the proctor of this event. As such if Gaara went overboard, it was required of him to step in and stop the fight.

Sasuke already had his Sharingan active as he knew this fight would be different than the others.

As soon as Naruto motioned the fight to begin, Sasuke charged Gaara with great speed, trying to land a few hits. However, the sand blocked every strike. The Uchiha, though, persevered and increased the speed of the blows, surprising Gaara. The blows were increasing in speed and the sand was having trouble blocking them all. Then, all of a sudden, Gaara received a strong punch that sent him skidding a few meters. Sasuke didn't waste any time and started a hand seal sequence.

_**Katon Karyuu Taihou **(Fire Release Dragon Fire Cannon Technique_)

Sasuke exhaled a strong stream of fire towards Gaara. The Sand Genin, after seeing the approaching flames, managed a few hand seals, before slamming both hands on the ground. A huge jet of sand rose from the ground and stopped the fire technique, although some of the sand became glass because of the scorching hot technique. Gaara, then, sent another jet of sand straight at Sasuke, though he managed to jump away from the technique, before starting a quick series of hand seals.

_**Raiton Rakurai no Jutsu **(Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Technique)_

The Uchiha's hand started to glow, before he sent the thunderbolt technique straight at Gaara. The Sand Genin knew about sand's weakness to lightning. Therefore, he tried evading, and barely succeeded. He, then, focused on a single hand seal, before a third eye appeared in front of him, much to his brother's shock. Also, sand started to gather around him, enveloping him inside some sort of cocoon. Sasuke saw the coccon closing fast and charged, but before he had the chance to punch Gaara, a great number of spikes erupted from the fully formed cocoon, which would have killed the Uchiha if he didn't dodge in time.

**

* * *

****===Outside the village walls===**

During the finals, Anbu personnel were busy scouting the entire forest that surrounded the hidden village in the leaves. So far, though, nothing out of unusual happened and Zabuza was beginning to get bored. The man didn't know why the Yondaime Hokage gave him the honor of leading this operation. A few years ago, Zabuza wasn't even a Konoha shinobi and now he was responsible for scouting Konohagakure's outskirts together with three Anbu squads.

"Zabuza-taichou…" an Anbu said, before materializing behind the ex-mist ninja.

"Let me guess…not a single enemy spotted" Zabuza said, before seeing the Anbu nod with his head. "Taki, take your team and scout near the gates. Our walls are strong, but our gates are vulnerable"

Within seconds, Zabuza was alone once more as he used his experience in order to predict the enemy's movements.

A few miles west of his position, an entire battalion made of Iwa, Suna and Sound ninjas stood hidden behind the trees. They were only waiting for the signal inside the village for the Iwa shinobi to act. Their plan was simple, yet effective. As soon as they received the signal, four groups of Iwa shinobi would summon gigantic wooden catapults capable of launching gigantic rocks at Konohagakure. The key to this attack was that inside the rocks, were battalions of ninjas ready to invade the village as soon as the rock shattered.

Konohagakure wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

**===Back at the arena===**

Gaara was still hiding inside his cocoon and Sasuke was already getting tired of waiting for a reaction. He even tried to fry the Suna genin with a grand fireball technique, but to no avail. This type of sand appeared to be more resilient to fire attacks. Thinking a bit, Sasuke suddenly smirked as he ran all the way towards the stadium wall. Afterwards, he completed a series of three hand seals, before focusing lightning chakra on the palm of his right hand.

_**Chidori**_

This move was taught to him by his sensei Kakashi, although the man advised him not to use it unless in life or death situations.

However, seeing as nothing so far worked on Gaara's defense, this would be his last attempt to win this fight and go to the final match of the Chunnin Exams.

Naruto was surprised to see Kakashi's technique and wondered if perhaps Sasuke stole it with his Sharingan or he was taught by the creator. Nevertheless, Naruto figured that this technique would be able to pierce an earth based defense. The young Uchiha looked at Gaara's position and started running towards the cocoon with Kakashi's technique at full strength. The peculiar noise of birds chirping echoed throughout the stadium as the Uchiha approached Gaara's position.

As soon as he reached within inches away from the cocoon, Sasuke extended his right arm and attacked Gaara. The effect was instantaneous as both sand and blood was sprawled on the ground. The crowd, then, started shaking in fear as Gaara screamed in both pain and agony. He managed to capture Sasuke's hand, though and he would certainly rip it off if Sasuke didn't use the Chidori once more. This time, though, Gaara's scream was stronger, more terrifying.

Sasuke got his hand back and jumped just as a strange looking arm appeared out of the cocoon. Naruto narrowed his eyes immediately as he felt Gaara's demonic chakra. However, he couldn't interrupt the fight.

Suddenly, though, white feathers started raining and Gekkou was on immediate alert, dispelling the genjutsu around him. Naruto did as well, before he looked at the stadium with narrowed eyes. Various enemies disguised as civilians suddenly left their seats in order to attack the daimyos and high officials, but were stopped by the disguised Anbus. Naruto noticed that Gaara's cocoon vanished and that Sasuke's attack did quite a number on him, before the two competitors from Suna appeared in front of him.

Gekkou returned next to Naruto just as a Suna jounin appeared in front of the Genins.

"So, Suna betrayed us after all…I do wonder the reason behind such an open statement of war" Naruto said as he faced the jounin named Baki who in turn smirked at the blond's proclamation.

"You shouldn't worry about our reasons for as you won't live to know about it. Temari, Kankuro…take Gaara away from here right now…"

As soon as they heard their orders, all three of them jumped away from the stadium, startling Naruto, before he turned to see Sasuke facing the jounin.

"Sasuke, you need to go after them. Gather a couple of chunnins nearby and capture those three. Remember, though, this isn't a part of the chunnin exams any longer, we're at war" Naruto said, before Sasuke nodded and vanished towards the Suna genin's location. Baki tried to stop him, but had to evade due to a couple of shuriken thrown by Naruto. As soon as the blond moved to strike, though, he saw the explosion at the kage stand and instantly became worried for his father.

He could see two Suna-nins being dealt with by the Anbu Black Ops shinobi, before they moved towards the kage booth in order to protect their Hokage.

* * *

**===At the Hokage Booth===**

No sooner had the Kage booth exploded then four disguised Oto-nins started a series of hand seals, before slamming both hands on the building's ceiling, raising a purple barrier. Inside, Jiraiya and Minato got up from the ground as they eyed the still dressed Kazekage. However, something was off about him. It was probably the scent of snakes that both of them were feeling right now.

"You know…you could disguise your appearance, but the scent of snakes is quite difficult to mask…Orochimaru" Minato said, with a smile on his face.

Still with the Kazekage disguise, Orochimaru wondered how the hell they knew of the invasion. He knew about Jiraiya's spy network and he knew how it worked. So, he sent shinobi to follow them all. Not single bit of information was passed to Jiraiya that much he was sure of. However, it mattered little now. Letting out a sinister laugh, Orochimaru suddenly ripped off the Kazekage disguise and smiled viciously at Minato and Jiraiya.

"Quite astute you are Minato-kun. However, I'm afraid you're too late to find out. It's been some time since I remained by your side and only now did you notice. Some legend you are…" Orochimaru taunted more to his own taste, as he knew a man of Minato's caliber wouldn't be in such position, if he was easily goaded by the enemy.

As he thought, the Yondaime Hokage was more interested in studying the barrier trapping him than the enemy.

"You sure trained your soldiers well Orochimaru. In order for this barrier to remain, all four of them must use the same amount of chakra at the same time. I wonder who'll be the first to fall, considering it will take a while for you to be able to beat both me and Jiraiya-sensei. Just one question, though, I'm really curious. You're not doing this because the Sandaime picked me instead of you for the Yondaime's position, right? I mean, if that's the one single reason, then I would lose the small amount of respect I had for you."

The snake sannin smirked at Minato's statement, though he wouldn't be surprised if his sensei shared the Yondaime's way of thinking.

"Nothing like that...one day I woke up and realized that Konohagakure deserved to be extinguished from the map. So, I developed a rather fine plan if I do say so myself. It still amazes me how past wounds can move people to do your bidding" Orochimaru smirked, as his comment caused Minato to narrow his eyes. "Oh…did I hit a soft spot, Minato-kun? I'm sorry. But I suppose you already know what I'm talking about huh …"

As soon as Orochimaru finished talking, both Minato and Jiraiya's eyes widened to unseen proportions as four gigantic boulders came flying towards the Konoha stadium.

Konoha was already aware of the Suna's participation in this invasion and even Orochimaru's village Otogakure. However, Iwa was just a guess, which was only now confirmed. Minato knew that Orochimaru was low, even baring psychotic. But to goad an entire hidden village just for his ambitions was probably the most despicable thing Minato ever saw. Problem was that Iwa had two most hated targets and Minato knew damn well that they would focus on the second one.

He just hoped that Naruto would be able to look out for himself.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

After Sasuke left to chase Gaara, Naruto and Baki stood face to face with each other.

"Your reputation is greatly feared **Kazeryuu**. I wonder how much money I will receive by bringing your head on a silver platter to the Tsushikage."

Despite the situation, the blond couldn't help but smile at how many times he heard those exact words. He was about to pull out his customized trench knives as he looked up and saw the gigantic boulders passing through the stadium. Only one landed on the stadium and Naruto was having a bad feeling about all this. Suddenly, the boulder was ripped in two and fifty if not more, Iwa shinobi got out of it, before joining the still smirking Baki.

"Oh I wouldn't be stupid in facing you alone…but with this much force backing me up, it will be quite easy. The village force is busy gathering the civilians and important officials. No one will come to help you."

The Iwa shinobi started gathering around him in hopes to quickly overcome the great threat and focus on burning Konoha to the ground, without worrying about Naruto. The blond, for his part, looked at each and every one of them, silently contemplating his best course of action here. He could see all of them smiling at him, as in their mind, Naruto was as good as dead. As he looked around, though, Naruto started to smile as he saw Gekkou hidden by an elaborate genjutsu.

It was time to act.

* * *

**===around the village===**

While the Anbu forces and Jounin managed to keep the enemy shinobi in tow, the genins and chunnins managed to gather the civilians and take them to all the safety spots hidden within the village. That included Kushina and little Misao as they were now travelling through one of the many hidden tunnels that passed below ground. Kushina wasn't privy to the entire scheme her husband pulled, but she had faith in both him and her son to save Konoha from the snake Orochimaru.

She could see that her little daughter was terrified to death. It was understandable, though, considering what's happening right now.

"Misao-chan, don't worry...both your father and brother are up there. No one can beat them..." Kushina said, hoping to tranquilize her daughter. She knew how much Misao adored her brother, up to the point of wanting to be like him in the future. THat's why she smiled upon seeing the smile forming on her daughter's face.

"Yeah..no one can beat Niisan"

Kushina had to smile at such energy as they ran along the group of civilians. After a while of running, Kushina met with Nara Yoshino and Uchiha Mikoto, before sticking together throughout the tunnel.

They were heading to a place filled with barrier seals made by the Yondaime Hokage. Anyone who tried to enter would be burned alive.

* * *

**===At the Kage Booth===**

Looking around the village, Minato could see that his Anbu shinobi were able to hold the invading force for the time being.

For now, his plan was working. However, he was somewhat concerned with Orochimaru. As part of the Sannin, and one of the greatest strategists that Minato ever seen, it was strange to see him alone against a Kage and another member of the Sannin. The man must have something up his sleeve, so for now Minato would play a cautious fight.

"Jiraiya-sensei, there is something entirely wrong here, so please cover me just in case…"

Minato didn't wait for Jiraiya's answer, nor did he need to as these two fought together many times during the Last Shinobi War. The Yondaime Hokage started making hand seals, much to Orochimaru's surprise, since he figured that Minato would want to end this soon by using the Hiraishin Technique. However, he knew better than to underestimate him, as he could see pure lightning pulsing through the man's body. As soon as the hand seals sequence finished, a dark cloud gathered on top of their heads.

_**Raiton Tentou no Doki **(Lightning Release: Heaven's Wrath Technique)_

Immediately, a great number of lightning bolts charged against Orochimaru at blinding speed, forcing the snake to use his speed in order to dodge them all. However, while doing so, Orochimaru took away his concentration from his opponents, allowing Jiraiya to shoot a fireball technique, which hit the snake sannin dead on. However, the man suddenly transformed to mud and vanished from the vicinity. He appeared a great distance from the two, as he smiled at them.

"Quite a technique you created Yondaime. I was hoping to see your so famed Hiraishin, though"

On the outside, the snake was smiling, but inside he was fuming with rage. His plan to neutralize the Hiraishin was quite simple, yei it would certainly catch Minato. He would wait until the Yondaime attacked him, before he used an Earth Kawarimi. Focusing chakra, he would harden the mud and trap Minato inside, leaving him open for the killing blow.

Minato smirked at this, though. Orochimaru was counting on him using the Thunder God Technique. For what purpose wasn't important as now the element of surprise was on Konoha's side.

Orochimaru immediately charged at Minato using his hidden snakes technique, not even waiting for a response to his taunt. Quickly grabbing his trademark kunai, though, the Yondaime Hokage managed to slash the snakes in pieces using his speed, before landing a fierce kick on Orochimaru's face, which sent him flying. While flying, he could see Jiraiya approaching from the left side. The snake managed to maneuver his body so as to dodge Jiraiya's punch, before connecting a solid kick to Jiraiya's sternum, which sent him skidding a few meters.

"It's quite obvious that I'm in some sort of disadvantage here, wouldn't you agree?"

Facing a Kage and a Sannin would be considered a disadvantage from the start, but Minato and Jiraiya eyed Orochimaru with care, knowing what the man was capable of. As Yondaime Hokage, Minato had access to the report of Orochimaru's betrayal and he knew the type of experiments conducted by the snake back then. Minato wouldn't be considered a Kage level ninja if he let the man do what he intended.

Quickly focusing on a series of hand seals, Minato slammed both hands on the ground, before a series of markings appeared around his hands.

_**Fuuin Hyoushi no Jutsu **(Binding Seal Technique)_

As Orochimaru was about to unite his hands, he suddenly found that his body wasn't responding to his movements. When he looked down, he snarled upon seeing the binding seal technique. However, he didn't even see Minato move. Orochimaru knew he underestimated Minato's skills as a fuuinjutsu specialist. Looking to his left, he knew that Jiraiya would seize this opportunity. The perverted sannin smirked at his student's quick wits, before focusing on a huge series of hand seals.

_**Katon Karyuu Endan **(Fire Release: Fire Dragon Missile Technique)_

The attack hit Orochimaru dead on and his body instantly combusted.

The Anbu located outside the barrier instantly cheered for their Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin. However, they saw that Orochimaru somehow materialized behind their Yondaime. He, then, charged at Minato's blind side, stretching his tongue. The problem was that the tongue was holding a sword as well. The Anbus flinched upon hearing metal impaling flesh. Orochimaru smirked as he managed to kill the Yondaime Hokage.

Minato's face was one of shock as he knew Jiraiya's technique was enough for the man.

"It's your own fault for underestimating me Yondaime…" Orochimaru said as he appeared in front of the two, with the sword still inside Minato's chest. Suddenly, though, he saw Minato smiling at him, before his body exploded into thousands and thousands of bolts, revealing to be a Raiton Kage Bunshin. And because Orochimaru's tongue was still holding the clone in place, Orochimaru was electrocuted and fell trembling on the ground.

Minato appeared by his side, looking at the responsible for this entire invasion.

"I wouldn't be the Yondaime Hokage if I underestimated a Sannin, now would I? It's over Orochimaru…you're dead now."

Taking a kunai, Minato was prepared to slice Orochimaru's throat when he sensed someone attacking him from behind. Quickly, he turned and sliced a black medium sized snake that was about to bite his neck. The confusion was enough for Orochimaru to throw a smoke bomb and vanish from their view. In order for his plan to work, he would need to be quick. Appearing a great distance from the Konoha ninjas, he got his hands together and began his technique.

_**Kuchiyose Edo Tensei **(Resurrection to the Impure World Technique)_

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**===Outside the village===**

"Team Alpha, protect the gate, we mustn't allow these group to invade the village" Zabuza screamed as he was busy decapitating sound genins, one after the other.

The Anbu were silently thanking whoever convinced this man to join the Leaf, as they saw the incredible display of Kenjutsu. Despite the sword's size and weight, Zabuza managed to swing it with perfect precision, not wasting any movements for the enemy to capitalize upon. After he took care of three sound genins with just one swing of his sword, he saw a group of ten Iwa chunnins formulating hand seals at the same time, before slamming their hands on the ground.

_**Doton Retsudo Tenshou** (Earth Release: Revolving Split Earth Technique)_

Zabuza cursed the attack as he was forced to jump just as the combined assault reached his old position. Problem was that few Anbu weren't so quick to dodge, being crushed by the attack or rocks thrown by the Iwa shinobi. The former mist-nin snarled once more and, while in mid-air, kept his sword strapped on his back, before going through hand seals of his own.

_**Suiton Mizu Taifuu** (Water Release: Water Typhoon Technique)_

The technique charged at the Iwa shinobi with extreme speed, but Zabuza cursed once more when he saw one of them lifting a mud barrier to stop his technique. Smirking at their now lack of vision, Zabuza grabbed his sword once more, before making a few water clones. At the same time another contingency of Anbu appeared and joined him on the attack. When the earth barrier was released, the Iwa shinobi was shocked to their core at the sudden number of enemies. However, it was too late as all of them were killed within five seconds.

Looking to his right, he could see two greatly experience Anbu captains as they took their respective teams and scattered around the forest, in order to kill as many enemies as possible.

Uchiha Itachi's group located a group of sand chunnins, on the verge of summoning something and by the size of the technique, Itachi was having the feeling it would be unstoppable. Moving fast, he grabbed his ninjato and threw it at the first one of the summoning group, before the sword passed through the Sand chunnin's head, killing him instantly. The others immediately abandoned the summoning circle as they grabbed any tools to protect themselves against the almighty Konoha Anbu force.

However, Itachi was a few moves ahead as he went through hand seals.

_**Katon Karyuu Endan **(Fire Release: Fire Dragon Missile Technique)_

Itachi's technique immediately killed three of them while his team used a lightning jutsu to fry two more.

The rest of the summoning group tried fleeing from the scene, however they stopped as their environment was different somehow. Instead of getting away from the Anbu, they were just approaching the enemy. They even tried going the other way but it resulted in the same thing. They weren't aware that Itachi casted a field disorienting genjutsu. However, they went to the afterlife not knowing this as Itachi's team threw a great deal of shuriken, killing the rest.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

With his trench knives in hand, Naruto was observing the army of opponents circling him.

Suddenly, he performed a back flip just as the first attack approached, before he landed a powerful kick to the woman's neck, sending her to unconsciousness. Charging wind chakra through the knives, Naruto charged at the closest enemy, not even allowing the man to prepare, before the blond killed him with a slice on the chest. That apparently gave the signal for everyone to kill the Hokage's son as everyone attacked.

Seeing the mob of enemies approaching, Naruto was only able to do a quick series of hand seals, before he controlled the wind current around him.

_**Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu **(Wind Release: Wind Barrier Technique)_

The first mob stopped because of the wind draft, allowing Naruto more leverage against them. As he increased the air current, the enemies caught in it were sent flying. Naruto didn't have time to rest as great barrage of shuriken charged at him pretty much the same time as two chunnins were attacking from behind. Diminishing the distance between the shuriken, Naruto used his knives to block the projectiles, before he landed a sequence of kicks at the two chunnins.

While he was dealing with a couple other ninjas, one took the opportunity and started a sequence of hand seals, before the tiger seal could be seen finishing the sequence.

_**Katon Dai Endan **(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)_

After he sliced the chest of one Iwa shinobi, Naruto suddenly felt the emanating heat of the technique. He couldn't dodge in time and the attack hit him dead on, much to everyone's cheer.

However, when the smoke dissipated, a small rock stood in Naruto's location. The real Naruto summoned an army of ten kage bunshins in order to aid him against the enemies.

Baki, deciding he had enough, charged at the blond. Seeing the imminent threat, Naruto raised one of his trench knives in time to block Baki's kunai from piercing his chest. The Suna jounin then flipped his body, aiming a strong kick to Naruto's side stomach, to which the blond blocked, before doing some back flips, just as two Iwa jounins attacked him from behind. Baki attacked him once more, this time with ninjutsu, sending a wind sword straight at Naruto. Being well versed in the field, Naruto just positioned one of his trench knives in front of the attack, before seeing the air current pass by harmlessly. Quickly landing a strong kick at a Genin, Naruto charged at Baki with straight taijutsu, forcing the man on the defensive.

He managed to land a powerful punch on his face which sent Baki skidding a few meters. However, when he was about to finish the sequence of hits, Naruto sensed the usage of chakra behind him and evaded to the right, just in time as he saw the same fireball reaching his old position. Going through a long series of hand seals, Naruto focused as much of his lightning chakra for one good lighting technique. He needed to scatter the enemy's attention.

_**Raiton Kusari Raikou **(Lightning Release: Lighting Chain Technique)_

Suddenly, the sky on top of the stadium went dark, before a series of lightning bolts charged at the Iwa Jounin, shocking at least five to death.

Sensing the last clone being dispersed, he turned to the left only to receive a hard kick in the face, which sent him flying.

Looking at the man, Naruto could see that the man's arm was made of stone. Getting cocky, the enemy charged Naruto once more, but this time Naruto wouldn't fight alone. Biting his thumb, Naruto did the summoning jutsu, calling forth a total of five wolves including Gekkou who joined them. While the wolves were busy killing Iwa shinobi, Naruto closed his eyes in preparation for one of his trademark jutsus. Going through the long series of hand seals, he opened his eyes while waiting for the wolves to clear the path for him.

As soon as Gekkou gave him the call, a strong air current started circulating around the blond, before suddenly increasing exponentially.

_**Fuuton Dai Reppushou **(Wind Release: Great Gale Wind Palm Jutsu)_

The increased gust of wind managed to blow away at least twenty Iwa shinobi, almost taking Baki as well. Appearing from behind Naruto, the man snarled at his situation. When the fight started, it was one hundred against the Yondaime's son. Now, it was only seventy and Naruto didn't show any signs of fatigue. He realized it was time to bring in the big guns. Turning to the one fire user of the group, he nodded to the man, before seeing him firing another fireball at Naruto.

Baki did some hand seals of his own for a small Reppushou Technique, before smiling as the fireball doubled in size, engulfing Naruto completely.

_**Suiton Suijinheki **(Water Release: Water Barrier Technique)_

Baki's smile turned once more to a frown as he saw the blond performing a water technique, quickly ending the enhanced fire technique. He was more surprised when Naruto started making more hand seals, as he saw the water barrier transform into the water dragon technique, before engulfing the fire user, killing him instantly.

He was now becoming desperate.

"Everyone throw everything you have at this bastard…." Baki shouted, earning Naruto's attention as he saw a great load of rocks approaching his position and fast. He wouldn't be able to dodge the attack.

Suddenly, though, an earth barrier was raised surprising both Naruto and the enemies.

"You wouldn't mind in being helped by an old man like me would you Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked as he appeared in front of Naruto who in turn smiled at the immense help.

"Not at all, it's considered an honor in sharing the battlefield with you, sir. You're alone?" Asked Naruto, but smiled when he felt another familiar presence nearby. Sandaime, for his turn, smiled and dispelled the earth barrier while summoning his personal bo-staff.

"I have a team of Anbu with me. We'll proceed with the next phase of your father's plan after dealing with this group"

As soon as Naruto heard the gasps of surprise from the Iwa shinobi, the blond grabbed his trench knives and sliced three chunnin's heads, before he looked to the seats where he could see the Anbu team dealing with a good twenty ninjas easily. Blocking an incoming shuriken, Naruto grabbed one of his own and quickly threw it against Baki, slicing a good chunk of flesh from his face, earning a snarl from the Suna Jounin.

"You know, I was kind of worried upon seeing such an army against me, but now I have the advantage. And guess what…no one will be able to save you now."

After saying, Naruto focused his wind chakra for a new technique unique to him as it required molding the air current.

_**Fuuton Kaze no Yari **(Wind Release: Wind Spear Jutsu)_

The almost invisible spear travelled the entire field, before piercing Baki in the chest. His eyes spelled surprise, before his body fell limb on the ground. After dealing with the nuisance, Naruto turned to see the Sandaime Hokage preparing a few hand seals, before Naruto could see a mud dragon's head appear from the ground. Naruto knew this specific combination, as Minato once taught him that the elite of the elite managed to merge two different elemental techniques without necessarily having a bloodline.

As soon as the mud dragon spilled the mud bullets, Sarutobi performed two new hand seals and gathered as much air inside his lungs for the **Karyuudan no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique). The attack alone killed ten enemies, leaving only more ten left for Naruto. He was about to charge at them, when he saw that Gekkou and his wolf crew were already on their asses. They didn't have any chance against those sharp teeth.

After the stadium was cleared, Naruto and Sarutobi were gathered with Yuugao's Anbu team in order to carry on the next part of the plan.

* * *

**===At the Kage Booth===**

Minato and Jiraiya sensed the usage of chakra and rushed to Orochimaru's side, but it was too late as two wooden coffins appeared protecting the snake from the barrage of shurikens thrown at him.

When the coffins opened, Minato's eyes widened upon seeing the bodies of the Shodaime and the Nidaime Hokage, before Orochimaru placed a kind of seal inside their heads. He wondered what the man was planning, until he saw that the bodies were moving.

"It's not enough to cause the death of innocent lives, you go and tamper with the dead. That's vile Orochimaru, even for you." Minato screamed, earning a snicker from the snake.

"Well…I believe that in order for a Yondaime to be truly tested, why not place him against his predecessors? Surely, I would love to see Sarutobi-sensei's face right now."

During the conversation, the Shodaime and Nidaime looked between each other and then at Minato.

"On behalf of Konohagakure, Shodaime-sama, Nidaime-sama, I, the Yondaime Hokage, apologize for this vile act placed upon your graves. I am truly mortified."

Both Minato and Jiraiya cursed every second of the assault that was to come. Fighting against Orochimaru was one thing, but the Shodaime Hokage and the Nidaime Hokage were considered the best shinobi of their time. The first one possessed the dead Mokuton bloodline and the second had an unparallel mastery of water techniques. Not to mention Orochimaru was a force to deal with as well.

Minato saw the Nidaime turning at Orochimaru.

"Edo Tensei, huh? So this kid summoned us with a forbidden technique. Quite a guy" Nidaime commented as his eyes focused on his brother.

"If that's the case, Yondaime, we must fight you." Shodaime said, much to Minato's snarl.

"I was actually hoping to meet you two on different terms, Nidaime…Shodaime" Minato said as he took his special kunai from his pouch. "Jiraiya-sensei, I'll deal with them, you take care of Orochimaru"

The pervert sannin nodded, while considering the fight ahead.

Would Minato be okay against two Kage level shinobi?

"Let's stop the chitchat, old men…" Orochimaru said, with a wicked smile on his face as he will certainly enjoy seeing Konoha's strongest shinobi killed by the village's very first and second Hokages.

* * *

**Author Note**

So what do you think? Please review.

I must say, it was hard to create this new invasion. I believe I did a good job, though.

I'll let you all be the judge of this different version, which by the way will end next chapter.

Plus, I placed a challenge in my profile page. I was meaning to create a new story, but hey who I'm kidding! I don't have the time to properly update the already existing stories, let one throw another one into the mess. It's an idea I had after seeing the last Shippuuden Movie with the creation of four new bloodlines. My story idea involves one of the bloodlines mentioned at the last Naruto Shippuuden Movie called **Jintou** (Swift Release). If anyone is interested, please check my profile.

See you next chapter.


	27. The Invasion Part II

**Author Note**

Hi there!

I know that some of my readers are angry seeing that it's been quite a while since i last updated this story. The hatred goes deeper, since I have yet to finish my version of the invasion arc. I'm angry too at myself for that! I've gathered a lot of ideas to be used, but I was fixed in both finishing my first two stories and updating the others too to focus on this one. Please know that I punched myself repeatedly for such an error! Now, I'm hoping that you all find this new chapter quite entertaining, so that you could all forgive me for the long wait. Here is the second and last part of the invasion arc.

Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

* * *

**Chapter 27 – The Invasion Part II**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

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Throughout the hidden village in the leaves, the only noise that could be heard was steel meeting steel, flesh being sliced and agonizing screams coming from both sides of the war started by Iwa, Suna and Otogakure. Although the invading forces suffered more casualties than Konoha, the ones that were alive all carried a smile on their faces as they managed to gain some ground, slowly but surely, against the ninjas from Konoha that tried with all their might to stop no less than three hidden villages, two of them representing one of the five great hidden villages. To the invading forces, the ones killed so far were just expandable. A sacrifice for the greater good, they thought.

Revenge against the Yondaime Hokage for the lives he took at the last great ninja war justified the dead. Of course, said thought was only present with the Iwagakure shinobi, but neither Suna nor Otogakure were complaining much.

In fact, only a few selected squadrons from Konoha managed to even up the odds, that being Itachi, Kakashi, Zabuza and the Sandaime's platoon. Four squadrons alone managed to take close to three times the number of ninjas and none showed signs of fatigue. All four of the squadrons were formed by shinobi who carried the will of fire with great pride and honor. The Sandaime's group, for instance, was defending the west sector of the village as well as the path that lead outside of the village. This sector was composed mostly of Iwa and Suna shinobi whom, although historical rivals in the past, now were united to destroy the village hidden in the leaves for good. For different reasons, sure, but they moved past that barrier. However, facing a highly skilled Anbu team, Yuugao's team, the Sandaime Hokage and the **Konoha no Kazeryuu **was no small feat.

So far, only one Anbu lost his life because of a sword strike from an Iwa jounin. Almost forty enemies were killed, though.

After thrusting one of his trench knives inside a Suna chunnin's chest, Naruto snarled at their situation, while the man's blood pretty much ruined his clothes. Although, the group was still pretty much united, it seemed that there was no end to the invasion force. The squadron met every fight with vigor, though the same thought passed inside everyone's head at one point or another. The Sandaime Hokage knew the reason behind it all, though he half wished that the ninja world wasn't driven by revenge alone. The man was Hokage when the Third and Last Great Ninja War started. At the time, he had at least half the shinobi that the Tsushikage had at his disposal. However, where Iwa's advantage lied in numbers, Konoha's advantage was in skills. Hatake Kakashi, the three Sannin, Maito Gai, his own son Sarutobi Asuma and last but certainly not least, the man who pretty much gave the victory to Konoha, the shinobi whose son was by his side right now, one Minato Namikaze. After crushing a jounin's bones with his bo-staff, the Sandaime Hokage watched Naruto making a few hand seals, before sending a blade of wind towards another Iwa jounin, before the man used a mud substitution to save his life.

The enemy wasn't so smart, seeing as his technique granted him only two seconds to live. Naruto was in front of him the minute he appeared a few meters to the west, before he sliced the man's jugular vein ruthlessly, using wind chakra through his trench knives.

The old man could see Naruto's eyes as he attacked the enemies with brutal efficiency, quite befitting of a seasoned shinobi. The Sandaime could only sigh in dismay, already envisioning the repercussions of the blond's mind and consciousness after the invasion. If Konoha survived, that is. Focusing once more on the battle ahead, he motioned for Yuugao's Anbu team to flank both him and Naruto as he saw that twenty new enemies came to assist the first group. Hiruzen may be retired from the Hokage seat, but going through three great wars, with the last as the Hokage, he managed to anticipate almost every move the enemy would make. Minato was cleaver in using him on the field, after all.

"Naruto-kun, stand beside me…." The call was attended right after Naruto sent an uppercut, sending what appeared to be a Suna jounin, before seeing his girlfriend decapitate the man with her ninjato.

"What do you need of me, Sandaime-sama?"

"From how I've seen you fight, your wind ninjutsu knows no equal…I only ask that you provide me with a C to B-ranked wind technique. You can leave the rest to me"

The Sandaime didn't need to wait for Naruto's understanding as he already went through the hand seals for one of his most powerful techniques. He could feel the raging inferno gathering inside his lungs, which forced him to take as much air possible, so as not damage his already beaten organs from old age. He was confident that Naruto already knew how to perform collaboration ninjutsu, as he finished the hand seals sequence with the powerful tiger seal. Taking only a brief look at his partner, Sandaime then turned to the new enemy force that were now close to twenty meters from their position and approaching fast.

_**Katon Karyuu Endan**__ (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Missile Projectile Technique)_

No sooner had the Sandaime released his technique, Naruto finished his hand seals with the dragon seal. Because of the increase in chakra capacity from the ritual, Naruto found out he could expand the capacity of his already existing techniques by adding more chakra. Hence how he managed to create a couple variants to his already existing techniques. This one, he managed to use it once, but never in the middle of the battlefield and certainly not to increase the power of one of Konoha's most powerful fire jutsu ever created. The chakra he used was staggering as the enemies that were experienced enough, knew that they would be lucky to escape out of this alive.

_**Fuuton Soudaitoppa**__ (Wind Release: Grand Breakthrough Technique)_

As soon as he whispered a thin layer of air from his mouth, it expanded exponentially in milliseconds, transforming into a raging maelstrom that even shocked the Anbu team that stood behind the two ninjutsu users, waiting for any lucky idiot that managed to survive this attack. When Naruto's technique combined with Hiruzen's fire technique, the fire projectile quadrupled in size and heat, charging at the enemies like a raging beast, demanding for human flesh. Those that had the decency to escape the raging inferno used every method they could. However, most didn't know where to go, seeing as the technique covered the entire field. When the gigantic fire dragon reached the invasion's position, all that could be heard was screams of agony as both Iwa and Suna's shinobi couldn't stand the heat. Their bodies literally melted and some were even turned to ashes. The rest that survived were quickly taken care of by the Anbu team, whom although shocked by the amount of destruction, managed to kill the ones that got lucky and used the ground for cover.

Both the Sandaime and Naruto shared a smirk at the combination, before they sensed a strong chakra presence only inches away from slaughtering the blond.

The Sandaime was faster, but he knew it was impossible to reach Naruto's position and block the incoming katana that in seconds would pierce Naruto's heart. When the noise of blood spraying came, the entire Anbu team looked back in fear that either Naruto or the Sandaime Hokage were injured. Naruto could only gasp as his life was saved by Gekkou. The Kazeryuu reacted instantly, though, seizing the opportunity given by his wolf partner and slammed one of his trench knives inside his attacker's stomach. Naruto narrowed his eyes upon seeing the man he thought was dead suddenly melting into mud. The real one appeared in front of the Sandaime, Naruto and the Anbu team. They could see the vindictive smirk on his face. His eyes never left Naruto's as his mind showed a great number of ways of taking revenge for everything the Yondaime did to his family and village.

Yuugao was by the Sandaime's side instantly, since she recognized the menace in front of them. Contrary to most Iwa shinobi, the man didn't wear the standard attire, going for more inconspicuous clothes, so that people wouldn't know that he was from the hidden village of the rock. His forehead protector was hidden from view, obscured by his part black part gray kimono. He carried two swords strapped on his waist, one being an unusually large katana and the other a standard wakizashi. If people didn't recognize him, they would say that he was a no good samurai with a vicious smirk splattered on his face.

"Sandaime-sama, this man is…"

"I know Neko. He's Kassen Oushi, S-ranked nin. I bet the Tsushikage sent him to ensure that Iwagakure manages to destroy Konoha for good"

There was also another reason for his presence, though the Sandaime wasn't one hundred percent sure. The fact that Kassen looked only at Naruto, instead of at him proved that the man came here on his own volition. Kassen's clan was rumored to produce the most powerful ninjas in Iwagakure, even though the clan didn't possess any type of bloodline, at least not one that Konoha was familiar with. They were skilled in pretty much anything outside of specialized skills. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu…not one single art escaped their grasp and before the last ninja war happened, not many shinobi out there managed to survive against one of the clan members.

The clan's story was ruined when the Yondaime Hokage came and destroyed almost every single one of them with his famed Hiraishin no Jutsu.

Looking at Naruto, he could see it in his eyes the level of burden he had to uphold considering who his father is. Hiruzen was battling with himself whether or not he should let Naruto do what he intends in doing. He didn't have a choice, though, he realized. Konoha was in the middle of an invasion against three villages, two of them being Suna and Iwagakure no less. This wasn't the time to ponder on such things. They had to protect the village at all costs and besides, if there was one thing Naruto learned from his father and mother, was determination and strength to protect those he cherish. Right now, Kassen was an enemy to Konoha and Naruto would certainly deal with him accordingly.

"Neko, let's go…Naruto can handle him"

"But sir…"

"We have a village to save Neko…"

Yuugao looked conflicted behind her mask as she looked at both Naruto and Kassen. The Iwa ninja still maintained the vicious smirk on his face, promising that he wouldn't stop until he killed Naruto. The blond, for his part, never took his eyes away from the enemy, even though he wasn't the leader of the platoon. She knew what the blond was thinking, however that didn't mean she enjoyed the possibility of leaving him to face an S-ranked nin on his own. Nevertheless, as an Anbu, a captain no less, she couldn't let her heart get in the middle of the assignment. She wanted to be by her boyfriend's side so desperately right now. Naruto turned to her, instantly, knowing how conflicted she was right now. Hell, if the situation was reserved, he would be as well.

"I'll be fine Neko, don't worry…I can see this guy won't settle for anyone but me or my father" Despite the situation, Naruto smiled at his girlfriend.

Yuugao could only sigh in contempt as she turned away from her boyfriend and followed the Sandaime towards the next incoming wave of Iwa, Oto and Suna soldiers. Looking back for a brief second, she prayed to whatever being up there that Naruto came out from this battle alive. While still running, next to the Sandaime Hokage, she thought about questioning him about the validity behind his decision. She knew Naruto was strong, even possibly stronger than her right now, since he performed the ritual of the wolves. But Kassen is as powerful as the sannins. Naruto was in serious trouble right now.

"Don't worry about him, Yuugao…" The fact that the Sandaime used her name like this surprised her instantly. "Since Naruto was born, he has been dealing with the repercussions behind his father's actions at the Third Great Ninja War. He knows that people like Kassen won't stop coming after him for revenge and since no one dares to attack the Yondaime Hokage, Iwagakure now settles for attacking the man's son, instead. I know that Kassen rivals my old students in power, but the blond grew up a lot in both skill and power. Both I and his father have great hopes that Naruto will surpass the both of us someday. Plus, the boy has his mother's spirit. You just can't beat someone carrying Minato's mind and Kushina's heart"

Yuugao nodded right afterwards, while smiling behind her mask. The Sandaime's words renewed her trust in Naruto.

Back to the blond's fight, Naruto eyed Kassen as Gekkou stood by his side. He was surprised to see that Kassen started hand seals, when everyone before him, decided to start by declaring that the blond would be dead in no time. Kassen, after finishing the hand seals, punched the ground with extreme force, before a huge wave of mud travelled towards Naruto. The Konoha chunnin, for his part, just remained still as the attack passed by him as if nothing happened. Kassen smirked even more, if such a thing was possible, at the fact that Naruto didn't fall for the trick he always uses at the beginning in order to end the fight without applying much effort.

"I see you're not as worthless as I thought, _Kazeryuu…_" Naruto could feel the mockery behind Kassen's tone.

"Please do not underestimate me with a weak genjutsu such as the one you used. I've been through worst when I was but an academy student. You came here hoping for revenge for what my father did against your family…" Naruto knew that he was goading the man, but he deserved it for mocking Naruto like he was some trash. Instantly changing the nature of his chakra, Naruto started pulsing lightning chakra throughout his body, showing to Kassen that he wasn't about to be underestimated. Kassen nodded at the challenge and charged at Naruto from his right flank. His speed was unreal, however with the use of shunshin, the blond chunnin managed to parry it.

* * *

**===With Minato===**

Placing both his arms to protect his face, Minato managed to block the Nidaime's kick but he wasn't strong enough to parry it and remain still, thus he was sent flying towards the death barrier. The Nidaime Hokage wasn't interested in just watching, so he charged at Minato once more in order to land another powerful strike, which Minato could only describe as the Senju's super strength. As he reached one of his trademark kunais, Minato wondered if Tsunade invented her taijutsu style or it was a hidden heirloom from her clan. After every damn strike received from both the Shodaime and the Nidaime, he felt like some of his ribs had cracked, though it was an overreaction on his part.

Minato threw the kunai past the Nidaime and instantly appeared behind the stunned Senju, before his throat was sliced.

The Yondaime had to dodge right afterwards with a good use of the shunshin, as a lance of wood charged at him with great speed courtesy of the Shodaime Hokage. The man cursed once he saw that the Nidaime Hokage was by his brother's side once more. No matter what he tried, those bodies just reformed. Minato feared that his chakra would end before any proper victory could be claimed. He knew who the real enemy was, though neither the Nidaime nor the Shodaime would let him cancel the seal that held both to the land of the living. Minato bit his lip as the Nidaime started making hand seals to one of his suiton ninjutsu, no doubt. However, the fact that Minato was prepared for the attack, didn't mean that he was about to underestimate the technique. It would be quite foolish of him to do so. He stood at attention when the Nidaime finished holding both hands in a pray like position, before the molecules of water started gathering around him. Minato just took a moment to register this moment, which in his words, was pure magic.

_**Suiton Suishouha**__ (Water Release: Water Collision Wave Technique)_

The water formed a whirlpool around Tobirama, before he sent it towards Minato, who started making a quick, almost impossible to follow, sequence of hand seals, before gathering some mud inside his throat. Doton techniques were Minato's least favorite skill and the man couldn't help but remember when both the Sandaime and his sensei Jiraiya tried convincing him that he needed another element, preferably a defensive one, not only for better protection but also to pass the jounin exams a long time ago. The roof started trembling at the force of the wave created by the Nidaime's mastery of suiton ninjutsu. By this time, though, Minato finished the sequence of hand seals.

_**Doton Doryuuheki**__ (Earth Release: Mud Wall Technique)_

As soon as Minato spilled some mud in front of him, the wall of mud emerged as well, protecting Minato from the initial impact. He looked in amazement as the wave wasn't stopped by his technique, meaning he had only a few seconds to get out of there. It was still more than enough time for Minato to vanish from his position and jump on top of the wall he created. He looked down at the two past Hokages and cursed once as this time it was the Shodaime Hokage who was making hand seals.

_**Mokuton Daijurin no Jutsu**__ (Wood Release: Great Forest Technique)_

The Shodai's arm suddenly transformed to wood and from it, a large mess of wooden spikes formed as all of them charged at Minato. He jumped down in order to dodge the incoming attack, but the Shodai pressed the attack further, forcing Minato to use all his experience in bending his body while in midair, thus avoiding all of them. One, however, managed to cut his right arm a bit. Minato was about to use one of his lightning jutsus against the Hokages when he saw that one last spike charged at him. However, when he realized that it wasn't meant for him but his sensei on the ground behind him, Minato used his personal technique once more just in time to take Jiraiya out of the way, saving him from the Shodaime's technique. Jiraiya was so engrossed on his fight against Orochimaru, that he hadn't focused on his surroundings. A mistake that would have cost him his life, if Minato wasn't there to take him out of harm's way. Now both stood back to back as Minato eyed the Hokages, while Jiraiya fixed his glare on his opponent.

The snake sannin couldn't help but smirk at Konoha's situation.

"Imagine this situation, Minato-kun. This pathetic village struggles, needlessly, against three shinobi villages while its Hokage is busy dealing with the past. If this continues, Konoha will cease to exist. It's too bad that in the end, you won't be able to save everyone after all, huh" One thing that Orochimaru always enjoyed was seeing the desperate faces of his victims. It was like a drug to his already decayed body. What was even more pleasant was that he would get to rub on his sensei's face that in the end, he made the wrong choice in choosing Minato over him for the position of Yondaime Hokage.

The man was startled, though, when both Jiraiya and Minato started laughing, all of a sudden.

"Ever heard the saying, there are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander, Orochimaru. You came here hoping to get revenge against the village hidden in the leaves, but you forget that our walls have lasted through three great ninja wars in the past and will remain so until the last man is dead. Our will of fire isn't determined by a single man, but the entire nation. Each one of them carries the will of fire that our beloved Sandaime Hokage always cherished and defended. I inherited this passion from him and you two as well, Shodaime-sama, Nidaime-sama. As long as I'm alive, I'll protect this village from criminals like you Orochimaru"

The snake sannin cursed the man once more and charged the same time as did the two Hokages.

* * *

**===throughout the village===**

The invasion force, as time went by, became arrogant. They believed that Konoha was caught unprepared for the invasion. As such, the Anbu team and the chunnin level shinobi protecting the village wasn't enough to stop three hidden villages. Little did they know, though, that Konoha's plan was first to secure the civilians and the children, before properly defending the village. From out of nowhere, ninjas appeared and turned the tide of battle. Hyuuga, Uchiha, Akimichi, Nara, Kurama, Inuzuka, Yamanaka…all of the clan shinobi that were strangely absent throughout the entire invasion, now appeared and were positioned in key positions around the village. Little by little, Konoha was turning the odds as for every Konoha-nin that was killed at least five were taken from the other side.

"_**Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu**__ (Shadow Neck Bind Technique)" _Nara Shikaku whispered as he extended his shadow to bind two Suna chunnins, before breaking their necks through the use of his shadow, on top of a building located at the village's commercial district.

"_**Chou**__**Baika no Jutsu **__(Super Multi-Size Technique)" _Akimichi Chouza, with his family technique, grew up to the size of a giant, before swinging his bo-staff, killing a great number of Oto and Iwa ninjas.

"_**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu **__(Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)_" A group of five Uchiha shinobi sent their attacks at a group of Oto ninjas near the Forest of Death area, burning them all. The ones who managed to escape, tried fleeing from the area, but met a rain of shurikens from the same Uchihas.

Located in a clearing, both Hyuuga Hiashi and Hyuuga Hizashi used their sixty four heavenly palm technique against ten Iwa shinobi. Elsewhere, the clan less jounins used their skills in order to deal with as many enemies as possible. In no time, the ground was filled with Iwa, Oto and Suna ninjas. The rest of the invasion force was now conflicted. Otogakure fled the area without worrying too much. They were all low-ranked missing-nins and as such, their lives meant more than an obvious lost cause. Suna and Iwagakure carried their village's honor, so they instead chose to retreat, in order to save as many of them as possible. The invasion ended in failure. Their last hope now was the Suna Jinchuuriki.

* * *

**===With Hiruzen Sarutobi===**

After dealing with a couple of ninjas along the path, Sarutobi's squad reached the position where they felt the demon chakra.

The Sandaime Hokage was surprised upon seeing the level of destruction around the area, before he spotted three Uchihas on the ground. After close inspection, he sighed in relief seeing that they were just unconscious, though after confirmation from the group medic, their bodies were a mess. The genin Uchiha Sasuke was suffering from several broken ribs, while the other two chunnins were bleeding from the inside. Also, hints of a very powerful wind jutsu could be seen on their skins, so most likely some Suna ninja that were aiding the Kazekage's son and Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi no Shukaku caused the damage.

Suddenly, the group shivered at the roar that echoed throughout the forest. Looking up, they flinched upon seeing the majestic sight of the one-tailed demon laughing like a hyena, while thanking the heavens that he was free once more.

"Neko, secure these three and take them to the hospital" The woman was surprised at the order, but turned to her second in command and nodded. He, in turn, ordered three Anbu to scout the wounded Uchihas towards the Hospital.

The Sandaime didn't waste any time and summoned his partner King Enma for assistance.

"**Sarutobi…what's the deal? That's Ichibi no Shukaku" **Enma growled as he tried picturing what Hiruzen was trying to do.

"I know it's not an everyday occurrence, Enma. But we have a plan…Yamato" The man in question was Neko's second in command. He nodded, before the group vanished towards the Ichibi's location.

* * *

**===With Zabuza===**

When Zabuza saw that most of the enemies started to flee, he went after them in hopes of killing a great number of them. Sure, he was the only one, seeing as the rest were more concerned with the village's welfare. It didn't take long for him to reach a squad full of Iwa shinobi, before he decapitated the first ones. The group, seeing the threat to their escape, stopped and faced the menace before they could retreat once more. Normally, it would be plain madness to face the Demon of the Hidden Mist alone, but with the group of approximately twenty shinobis, the member of the Seven Swordsmen realized his mistake. He managed to take care of five more, before the rest started gaining on him.

Zabuza wasn't able to block a ninjato strike to his arm, followed by a straight kick layered with doton chakra. Both attacks pretty much dealt with the Demon of the Hidden Mist, sending him towards a thick tree. The impact was so strong, that he could hear some ribs breaking. One of the Iwa jounins smirked upon seeing the heavily injured man, seeing as he at least could take his head and receive a substantial bounty from Kirigakure. Zabuza was pretty much taken care of at this point and the Iwa jounin smirked viciously while slowly going through hand seals for a swift kill.

_**Doton Iwa no Yari **__(Earth Release: Rock Spear Technique)_

From the ground, came the deadly weapon before the jounin threw it towards the injured Zabuza. The spear was aimed towards his heart. No one could stop his death now. The noise of flesh being pierced surprised Zabuza as a bubble of blood splashed his face awake.

* * *

**===Back at the Kage Battle===**

Orochimaru smirked once more as he extended his neck in order to bite Jiraiya. The Gama sannin, for his chance, took the attack head on before transforming to mud revealing to be a tsuchi bunshin. Behind Orochimaru, Jiraiya managed to hit a basketball sized Rasengan at his stomach, which sent the snake sannin flying. Jiraiya attempted to charge once more, but his mind was suddenly trapped in Orochimaru's _**Kanashibari no jutsu **__(Temporary Body Paralysis Technique)_. It didn't take long for him to dispel, but it granted Orochimaru the time needed to attack, thus kicking Jiraiya hard.

Using the flight momentum, Jiraiya flipped and landed on his feet before biting his thumb and slamming his hands on the ground for his _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**__ (Summoning Technique)._

Orochimaru smirked at the pathetic use of strategy, since Jiraiya used a great deal of chakra to summon some toad. When he saw the toad, though, Orochimaru snarled recognizing the damn amphibian that always managds to corner him whenever he and Jiraiya fought.

"I bet you wanted another go at him, don't you Gamatsuinken" Smirked Jiraiya as he stood side by side with a horse sized toad, carrying two swords on his back. The toad, for his part, smirked upon seeing the enemy, before grabbing his weapons of choice. The toad, although big, suddenly vanished from his position and reappeared behind Orochimaru. Only the man's heightened snake senses alerting him to danger and managed to save him from being sliced in multiple pieces. Still, Orochimaru could track the toad's movements, even if he could barely avoid the strikes. With this, Jiraiya smirked upon seeing the much needed distraction he desired, in order to fulfill his transformation. Biting his finger once more, the man summoned two little toads named Fugasaku and Shima. With them, Jiraiya would finally deal with Orochimaru for good.

Looking to his left, he flinched upon seeing that Minato was getting his ass whooped by the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage. But he had to concentrate on his battle first.

_Minato, we all have our secret cards, I'm using mine…I think it's time you used yours…_

_

* * *

_

**===With Naruto===**

_**Raiton Kusari Raikou**_ _(Lightning Release: Chain of Lightning Technique)_

The sky suddenly turned black as torrents of lightning filled the area, forcing Kassen to use every skill he had to dodging them all. The fight started to his advantage. Naruto was skilled, but not S-ranked like he was. According to the info he had on the kid, the blond wouldn't be able to parry Kassen's attacks. Much to his frustration, though, the blond managed to go toe to toe with Kassen and it was infuriating. If the Iwa shinobi couldn't defeat the son, what hope did he have of defeating the father? Kassen snarled upon seeing that Naruto remained neutral to another of his genjutsus techniques, which would follow with Naruto dodging the fake doton attack when Kassen would strike and slit his throat.

He saw the blond throwing a couple of kunai, without much force at him, before going through a small sequence of hand seals.

_**Fuuton Dai Reppushou **__(Wind Release: Great Gale Wind Palm Technique)_

The kunai's speed nearly doubled surprising Kassen as he hardened his body with doton chakra in order to parry the deadly kunai. The weapons were stopped by Kassen's arm, though the man saw that the kunai almost broke through his ultimate defense. He was about to charge Naruto once more when the blond started another series of hand seals, this time a much larger sequence. Kassen stopped his urges and focused once more on his defensive doton technique. He started gasping at the fact that he could see the wind gathering around Naruto as he was the center of a hurricane in plain formation. Kassen was beginning to hate Naruto, however by now he realized that Naruto earned his merit.

_**Fuuton Kyomou Shippuu**__ (Wind Release: Fierce Hurricane Technique)_

Kassen had to force chakra to his feet in order to stick himself on the ground. The force of the wind was unbelievable as he witnessed the hurricane forming around Naruto, before coming straight at him like a hungry beast all but ready to devour its prey. Kassen focused a lot of chakra this time for one of Iwa's toughest defense ninjutsu. This barrier wasn't made of mud, but rock…solid rock that was impenetrable. The problem was that it sucked a great deal of the caster's chakra. Nevertheless, a strong attack can only be parried by a strong defense. Kassen had no choice, he was too close for a kawarimi and no object could be seen around for him to replace himself with. The wall of earth was erected in front of him, before the hurricane came crashing hard. Kassen could feel the rock trembling, but managed to hold Naruto's technique. The Iwa shinobi didn't waste time and used another of his doton genjutsu techniques.

_**Tsuchi Genjutsu Sendoya**_ _(Earth Illusion: Arrows of Death Technique)_

Kassen slammed his fist on the ground, before torrents of arrows came out from the ground, towards Naruto. However, much like last time, Naruto just stood there like nothing happened. It was like the blond wasn't even affected by his technique.

"How the hell are you doing this huh? I've studied all information there is to know about you and none of it showed you this proficient in detecting genjutsu" Kassen shouted, already losing his cool and aloof behavior over the situation. The Tsushikage believed in him to strike a blow at the Yondaime, even worse than destroying the village. However, he didn't take into account that the blond's techniques were the exact counter to his own.

"I already told you not to underestimate me, Kassen. I'm not only my father's son. I'm **Konoha no Kazeryuu**, A-ranked nin of Konohagakure. Now, prepare yourself because I'm done being on the defensive here…Gekkou" Naruto shouted, before taking his trench knives and channeling wind chakra through them. The wolf's eyes suddenly glowed yellow; before Kassen started holding his head in order to stop the increasing headache he was feeling right now. That gave Naruto the exact opportunity to charge the enemy with a shunshin, before he sliced Kassen's head off. The blond was already calling himself victorious when the body he attacked transformed into mud, before splitting itself in four identical copies of Kassen.

Naruto saw another one appear a short distance away from the bunshins, smirking at Naruto.

"It took me a while, but I now know how you managed to sense my genjutsu so easily…that wolf partner of yours is a genjutsu user, isn't it? He somehow managed to warn you a couple seconds before the attack" Kassen smirked as he turned to take care of Gekkou.

However, the wolf instantly vanished in a puff of smoke. Surprised, Kassen turned to Naruto only to see Naruto holding the ram seal.

"You may have caught me, but I'm not going to stand here and let you hurt Gekkou. Besides, I have enough up my sleeve to deal with you Kassen" Naruto smirked, before channeling lightning chakra through his limbs. Kassen couldn't even follow his movements, as he used his lightning strike technique on all four bunshins, dispelling them faster than before. The Konoha chunnin, though, didn't have time to even turn and face the real enemy, before he saw the man holding the bird seal, for a technique he hadn't seen before. The problem with doton techniques was that they were surrounded by earth and rocks. Hassen could better user the terrain and kill Naruto.

_**Doton Doryuusou**__ (Earth Release: Earthen Rising Spears Technique)_

The sudden attack rose around Naruto and he realized he just couldn't move in time. Thus, he made the only thing he could, given that his movements were limited. Quickly molding the necessary chakra, he did something that even he never thought it possible. Naruto managed to use his _**Fuuton Shouheki no Jutsu**__ (Wind Release: Wind Barrier Technique) _in time to stop most of the spears that aimed for his vital points. However, he wasn't able to stop the last three. One pierced his stomach and the other two his thighs. After the technique was dispelled, Naruto looked at his opponent and bit his lip at the fact that the man was smiling in triumph. Because of the injuries sustained, Naruto couldn't even stand properly, before unimaginable pain followed. The chunnin was already calling it quits when he remembered that he had at least one technique that he could use right now. It would cost him pretty much all of his chakra, but at least Kassen would be dealt with for good.

Using the blood on his hands, he focused as much chakra as he could, before slamming both hands on the ground, before Kassen could process Naruto's intentions.

_**Kuchiyose no Jutsu Fenrir-sama**__ (Summoning Technique: Boss Fenrir)_

The Iwa shinobi cursed himself for believing that Naruto was already as good as dead, and created some distance from him. He saw a white wolf looking at him with yellow silted eyes and growling the entire time. The wolf looked at the injured Naruto behind him and nodded. He would take care of this trash. Fenrir just vanished in thin air and appeared once more at his first location. The blond wondered what happened, before he saw Kassen holding his neck in a pathetic attempt to cover the deep cut caused by Fenrir's claw. The Iwa jounin was on the floor, before he even realized his eyes already lost its color. With that, Naruto breathed a little more easily, before yanking the earth spear inside his stomach. The scream that followed alerted Fenrir and he turned to see his summoned in quite a bad shape.

"**He did quite a number on you Naruto. I'm glad you called me. Gekkou informed me of what you did and I'm proud of you…" **

Despite the pain that Naruto was feeling right now, he smiled at the boss wolf.

"Thanks for the assistance…I guess I'm not strong enough to be facing S-ranked Nins yet. Now, the war is still on and I can't help them, dammit…" Naruto snarled at this, but the smile on Fenrir's face showed that the boss wolf had an idea.

"**I can help you with that, though you'd have to bear with the fact that I'd have to bite you…" **the look on Naruto's face was priceless, but he continued anyway. **"Because of the ritual, our kind's blood is mixed with your human blood. Therefore, I can heal all your most fatal wounds. However, for that to happen, I'd need to pass my chakra inside your body and that involves me biting you…"** Fenrir stopped explaining when he saw Naruto extending his right arm. The sleeve was shredded because of the earth spears technique. The wolf just smirked as he looked at Naruto's determined eyes. He opened his mouth and sank his sharp teeth on Naruto's arms. His body bent over instantly because of the pain, before he began to feel Fenrir's chakra invading his own chakra system.

* * *

**===With Zabuza===**

The splash of blood hit Zabuza stronger than a ton of bricks would.

Despite all the injuries he had sustained, he saw when Haku appeared in front of him and took the attack in his place. The spear crossed Haku's body, through his stomach and sent him to rest near Zabuza. By looking at the boy trying very hard to breathe, something inside Zabuza exploded upon seeing the one he considered like a son, on the verge of being killed because of his own stupidity. His eyes began to glow red from anger at the Iwa shinobi. He got up, despite the pain he was feeling and took his partner sword. He screamed to the heavens to allow him a couple more minutes so that he could deal with these enemies who dared to harm Haku. The man instantly vanished and decapitated at least two enemies, before he flipped and sliced the body of a third. The rest of the group started attacking him doton techniques, but the Demon of the Hidden Mist wasn't about to let such minor attacks stop him from tearing everyone apart, limb by limb.

This was the scene that Zabuza's Anbu squad saw upon arriving at the location.

They witnessed the bloody massacre, before one Anbu spotted Haku using every bit of chakra he had to freeze the place where the spear crossed his body, in order to stop the blood leaking from his body, without avail. The medical Anbu of the unit ushered him to stop immediately as she would now assist. The Anbu managed to take the earth spear off Haku's body, before applying medical chakra to the wound. However, despite all her attempts, she just couldn't stop the blood loss. Signaling to her unit, they took Haku quickly to the emergency hospital to be taken care of. Meanwhile, the rest of the Anbus remained to take Zabuza's unconscious body towards the medical unit as well. One Anbu, though, whistled upon seeing the number of bodies that Zabuza killed.

The man knew one thing…never piss Zabuza off.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

After healing most of Naruto's wounds, Fenrir decided that he should stay with the blond, aiding him against the invasion force. The chunnin, though, was feeling strange in bothering the boss of the wolf clan with this, when Gekkou would have sufficed. However, Fenrir thought nothing of it and now they were jumping from rooftops towards the place where the Hokages were battling each other. Naruto found it strange that they met little resistance on their path. Only a few Suna chunnin tried their luck only for Fenrir to deal with them like they were nothing more than insects waiting to be squashed. After a while, Naruto realized that Fenrir only wanted to ride along with him so that he could draw some blood.

After passing through some trashed neighborhoods, Naruto saw the purple barrier on the horizon and snarled, believing his father was in trouble.

He increased his speed, using even a couple of shunshins to get on top of the stadium building. The surrounding Anbu were surprised, so were the sound four that held the barrier. Looking at the fight going on inside the barrier, he, then, turned to the Anbu with an angry snarl.

"Why aren't you helping them?" The blatant insubordinated comment was shrugged off by the Anbu, who believed that the _chunnin _was only concerned for his father. Still, it was a valid question, seeing as the barrier kept Konoha from finally destroying Orochimaru.

"We tried bypassing the barrier that Orochimaru's shinobi created but without avail. Yondaime-sama theorized that the barrier is maintained by a coordinated effort of four shinobi, each one positioned at one side of the square. So far, though, we aren't able to do anything. Even some of our ninjutsu techniques weren't effective" Naruto, after hearing it, approached the place where one the sound shinobi was and began to study both the barrier and the woman holding the barrier in front of him. Naruto was by no means an expert when it came to fuuinjutsu techniques, but he wasn't a pushover either. If his father believed that in order to maintain the barrier, the Oto ninjas had to use the same amount of chakra at the same time, then if he, for instance, managed to disrupt one side of the barrier, the whole technique would be disrupted, allowing him, Fenrir and the Anbu to help both his father and Jiraiya of the Sannin.

* * *

**===Inside the Barrier===**

While the toad was holding Orochimaru at bay, Jiraiya was focusing every bit of his energy in gathering nature chakra with the help of Fugasaku and Shima. Jiraiya knew it was a risky business, by showing to his ex-teammate, that he had access to said form of chakra manipulation. If he ended up surviving this battle, then news would spread the very same day and Jiraiya no longer would be able to use it as an ace in the hole. Orochimaru would have to perish tonight. The entire procedure took no more than ten minutes, before Jiraiya transformed into his senjutsu form. His hands and feet were like the toads, his noise was bigger and the red marks on his face presented a different drawing. He was on all fours, when he screamed for Gamatsuinken to vanish, before Jiraiya catapulted his body towards the still stunned Orochimaru.

The snake sannin had never seen such ability from his idiotic friend and was stunned by his speed. Orochimaru received a punch to the face so hard that his jaw almost broke upon impact. Orochimaru was sent flying, but Jiraiya was already behind him, as he stopped Orochimaru's flying with a knee on the stomach. The snake sannin bent over in pain, before he received a gigantic Rasengan on his chest, sending him flying once more. Jiraiya pressed on the attack, while focusing his attention for genjutsu attacks or simple kawarimis that Orochimaru was fond of doing in order to get away.

Back to Minato's fight, he realized that in order to win this battle, he would have to resort to his ultimate technique. He saw the two past Hokages looking at him, before he summoned two kage bunshins and set them to hold the kages off until he could complete his technique. Normally, Kage bunshins were ill advised seeing as they were dispelled easily. However, these weren't regular Kage Bunshins. Minato pumped in them enough chakra to last a couple minutes against the enemy. Content that he had time to focus, Minato joined his hands in a pray like manner, before charging lightning chakra through both hands. After a couple minutes of focus, he distanced one hand from the other, as a small Rasengan could be seen in between. The ball of energy grew until it resembled a basketball. After completing its size, the Yondaime Hokage took a long breath, before his hands started glowing with lightning energy. This was the hardest step of the technique and by now, one single mistake and both his hands and chakra pathways would be destroyed.

Little by little, rings of electricity started surrounding the rapidly spinning ball of energy, until it resembled an atom. As soon as the Yondaime managed to finish his technique, the bunshins were dispelled by the former Kages. They didn't get to move, before the Yondaime was already on their asses with his ultimate attack.

_**Raiton Fukabun Rasengan**__ (Lightning Release: Atomic Spiral Ball of Energy Technique)_

The technique obliterated half of the fighting area, much to the shock of everyone, as the two kages vanished in thin air. However, much to everyone's surprise and utter fear, the pieces were reforming, while the Edo-Tensei seals were glowing. After Minato's technique, no one could have survived. However, Minato was already close to the seals, as he took two of his own seals inside his jacket. Throwing them at the Edo-Tensei seals, Minato began to inscribe a great series of kanjis on his blank seals, before focusing chakra on both of them. Edo-Tensei was a technique invented by the Nidaime Hokage. And although Orochimaru managed to replicate it to a certain level, it wasn't complete, meaning Minato could override the seal with one of his own masterpieces.

_**Fuuin Gyaku no Jutsu**__ (Reversed Sealing Technique)_

As soon as Minato worked his magic, the edo-tensei seal started glowing, before it started shredding to pieces. Although the kage's bodies were only half reformed, Minato could see their faces smiling at the Yondaime Hokage who was on the floor, gathering some energy. His last stunt took almost all the chakra he possessed. If Jiraiya wasn't able to stop Orochimaru, then Minato wouldn't be of much help either. Still, the fact that he managed to defeat not one but two of the past Hokages did a lot to boost his personal morale. At least, he would be able to gloat to his son that he wasn't an old timer.

"I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble Yondaime. I'm glad to know that Hiruzen chose his successor wisely" Said the Nidaime, before vanishing.

"I know that Konoha is in safe hands with you here. Especially the man outside the dome who looks a lot like you" Shodaime's words surprised Minato, before he heard four familiar voices shouting.

_**Fuuton Arashi no Mae**__ (Wind Release: Tempest Dance Technique)_

Out of nowhere, four identical hurricanes started forming in front of the four corners of the barrier. Naruto realized that if he was to break the barrier, then he would have to disrupt at least one side. However, he figured that the odds would increase if he managed to attack the barrier from all four sides, meaning he attacked all the members of the Sound Four. The Oto shinobi, for their part, cursed the blond chunnin. The barrier managed to hold the hurricane's strength, but the force of the wind was enough that they couldn't maintain their footing for very long. They could focus chakra to their feet, but that would mean disrupting the barrier. The real Naruto smiled upon seeing the amount of effort in maintaining the barrier and keeping their feet on the ground. He focused on the bird seal and the bunshins increased the speed of the hurricanes, sending the sound four flying inside of the barrier.

Because of this, the barrier was disrupted allowing the entire Anbu platoon to join the Hokage and Jiraiya against Orochimaru. The snake sannin cursed both Namikazes for the second time in his life. He looked at the opposition against him and realized that a retreat was in order. The sound four immediately appeared in front of their master, before they threw a great number of smoke bombs on the ground, before fleeing. The Anbu platoon gave chase, leaving Minato, Naruto and the now normal Jiraiya. Naruto went to see if his father was okay, while Jiraiya looked at the horizon. Shukaku's path was halted probably by sensei's platoon. Jiraiya only hoped that Minato's plan worked.

* * *

**===With Hiruzen===**

Right after dealing with Kankuro and Temari, The Anbu groups second in command Yamato established the technique that would deal with the Sand Jinchuuriki.

While he established his grounds, it fell to the Sandaime Hokage to hold Shukaku from attacking the group. That was easier said than done, though. If he was fighting the beast alone, then he wouldn't need to worry about holding the beast. Now, he needed to use his best doton defensive techniques to hold the beast's powerful wind blast. Nevertheless, he got the job done as Yamato was already performing the hand seals needed for the Shodaime Hokage's trademark technique. The Shodaime Hokage was rumored to have control over the tailed beasts, meaning Yamato had the same ability.

_**Hokage Shiki Jijun Jutsu**__ (Hokage Style 60 Years Retirement Technique – Sanctuary Enlightenment Enclosing Palm)_

The beast's scream reverberated throughout the clearing, representing the defeat of three hidden villages and, once more, Konoha's supreme victory.

* * *

**Author Note**

So what you guys think? How was my version of the Suna-Sound-Earth invasion?

I know that Yamato's technique wouldn't be the same without the Shodai's necklace, but since that was Kishimoto's creation, I decided to tweak the technique's ability a little bit.

Come on, I want to hear it. Also, please don't be alarmed, but after reading other stories, I've come up with an idea for a new one

And I'm going to write it right away. I'm not going to tell you guys right now. I'm just warning my readers that a new story is almost coming out of the oven. Some will hate me, but overall I hope that everyone will enjoy the story.

See ya.


	28. Is there a doctor in the house?

**Author Note**

Hello there and here we go again with another chapter of Full Moon. I was very thrilled that my version of the invasion worked out so well and even more thrilled to know that the readers enjoyed it. It was a shame that Minato is dead in cannon; otherwise he would be key factor in winning the war without much effort. The part I enjoyed most of my version was the Sandaime teaming up with Naruto in killing some chunnins and jounins from Sunagakure and Otogakure. No, contrary to most of the readers' thoughts, I don't plan to end this story right away. I have a long list of ideas to use it and a lot of real events that I could use it as well.

For instance, what will happen to Sasuke? He was given the cursed seal by Orochimaru.

Perhaps, the snake sannin will attempt to lure Sasuke away from the village, promising power? Will he just possess Sasuke's body right away and get access to a fully matured Sharingan. Also, there are new arcs for me to explore. Unlike my other stories, I don't plan to follow the Shippuuden timeline. I'll create new arcs for Full Moon. I'll create new missions for his team and new enemies that will pose against the wellbeing of the Namikaze family. I'd enjoy sharing my ideas with all of you, but then I would be ruining the surprise I have stored and that's not very nice. Now, this chapter is in order to end the invasion arc and move on to a new one.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 28 – Is there a doctor in the house?**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

The hidden village in the leaves has constantly proved its reputation as the strongest of all five hidden villages. Konohagakure, land of probably the most gifted shinobis and kunoichis, managed to survive unscathed throughout two world ninja wars. Some would say that it was thanks to the village's huge walls, others, carrying a more patriotic way of thinking, believed that the shinobi from Konoha possessed the will of fire, an idealism created by the Sandaime Hokage at the beginning of his time as Kage. The rest believed it was just luck that prevented the village from suffering more casualties than it should, in times of war.

However, whatever the reason was in the past, Konoha certainly proved its strength two days ago.

The strongest hidden village in all the elemental nations was pitted against three enemies, two of them being a part of the top five. Iwagakure, Sunagakure and the relatively small but strong village called Otogakure joined their forces in order to burn Konoha to the ground. However, it was proven that mere numbers didn't pose as much an advantage as they thought. In the end, the carriers of the will of fire were victorious. A lot of enemies were killed by Konoha's strong and valiant ninjas and the rest chose to escape for their lives. Nevertheless, war always brought casualties and certainly, both sides suffered. Despite preparing in advance for the invasion, Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, ended up losing approximately one hundred shinobis and kunoichis. Despite paling in comparison to Iwa and Suna's losses, the Yondaime Hokage felt pain for each and every one of those who died defending the village they called home. He would surely take time off his schedule to visit their families to tell them how honored he was to have lead these brave men.

After Orochimaru escaped, Minato struggled to even remain standing as the last techniques he used took approximately all of the chakra he had at his disposal. He was at first scared because he didn't know the entire situation that was going on throughout the village. And if someone needed him, he doubted he would be of much help at the state he was in. Luckily, from the reports he received both from the Anbu guarding him and from his elder son Naruto, the village managed to expel the invaders and, lately, he heard that Yamato managed to subdue the Ichibi no Shukaku with the same technique used by the Shodaime Hokage in order to subdue the tailed beasts. Now, with the invasion taken care of, Minato had to deal with the aftermath. His eyes lost focus over the report of the damages sustained by the village because of the attack. He didn't need to know that although the casualties sustained weren't so extensive, the damage to the village was great. Certainly, it would take quite a while for the hidden village in the leaves to repair it all. Placing the report in front of his table, the Yondaime Hokage suddenly had the urge to stand up and look at the village from his back window. It was something every kage of this village did and no one aside from them ever understood why.

One of the two people that were sharing the room with the Yondaime smiled in delight at the choice he made a long time ago. He couldn't have chosen a better successor to take his place.

"This village isn't made of wood and bricks, Minato-kun. Those can be rebuilt anytime." Sandaime looked at the young man's back with a smile on his face. Surely, he also felt pain over those who perished, but he was proud of them, like he was proud of the entire village.

"Sorry Sandaime-sama, but this is my first time dealing with an invasion. You have two wars of experience and certainly know more of this than I do. I'm just glad that the plan concerning Shukaku came through in the end. It would take our best summons to deal with that beast and the damage would be far more extensive."

Opting to remain silent throughout the entire ordeal, Jiraiya just studied his student's back as well, wondering about the weight the man must be carrying at this point. Even though his own sensei was a Kage throughout two major wars, he didn't understand what it was like to guide this village. And in his frank opinion, Minato wasn't much different from the Sandaime. Both were caring towards the village, both were undoubtedly powerful, perhaps considered the strongest of their time. Also, he could see the same look in Minato as he saw in his sensei after the last great ninja war against Iwagakure. He knew Minato was suffering for everyone.

After a while of discussions, both Sarutobi and Jiraiya left the office towards some much needed rest, leaving the young Hokage alone to ponder about the aftermath.

Minato, for his part, despite Sarutobi's words of comfort, couldn't shake the feeling that he was to blame for their deaths. The Hokage's position was indeed a heavy burden, Minato realized. On missions, he could send more teams than necessary to ensure that his ninjas would come back alive or at least improve the chances of survival. But in times of war, Minato just couldn't predict the number of casualties. It was most unfortunate, but unavoidable, he surmised. There was nothing he could do but move on. The village needed a strong leader, not someone who would wallow in misery over those who perished.

Their names will be forever honored for their services; the Yondaime Hokage would make sure of that.

The Yondaime Hokage, then, took a seat and picked a separate piece of paper and started to read the list of topics he would have to take care of today. Even if the Chunnin Exams were interrupted by the invasion, Minato just couldn't use it as an excuse to avoid the genin's promotions. Of course, it was a political move more than anything, seeing as a great number of the applicants were clan heirs. He figured that Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino had the skills to become a chunnin. Both displayed excellent performance both in ninjutsu and taijutsu and their skill in planning ahead quite surprised Minato. No doubt, the two followed in their respective father's footsteps. Sai would be promoted as well for his ability and recognition of a superior foe in the likes of a jinchuuriki. The first quality that was expected of a chunnin was leadership. As such, it will be required of the chunnin to make decisions that will affect the team under his command.

Last, but not least, Uchiha Sasuke's performance was analyzed. The skills displayed by Sasuke were splendid, but that was already expected for an Uchiha, because of the Sharingan's capabilities. Nonetheless, Minato had reservations about promoting him to the position of a chunnin. Compared to the other three, Sasuke's level of planning ahead was rather limited, trying to overcome Shino with ninjutsu and speed. Also, he knew the boy to be rather arrogant and, according to his brother Itachi, didn't possess the qualities of a chunnin, such as leadership and responsibility. A chunnin is supposed to be strong, sure, but it will be required of them to lead missions as team captains. Minato just couldn't send him on a mission if he wasn't sure Sasuke would consider the lives of those under him before the mission.

Writing the order to his secretary, Minato then passed on to his next item with a smile on his face. The three names in front of him displayed a great level of skill at the invasion and managed to take care of a good deal of enemies. The first two joined the members from the Hyuuga Clan and dealt with a great number of Suna shinobi that attacked from the Forest of Death region. The last one, much to Yondaime's pride, not only managed to deal with a great contingent of shinobi at the Chunnin Stadium, but also managed to defeat Iwa's S-ranked ninja named Kassen Ouchi.

_Hyuuga Neji_

_Tenten _

_Namikaze Naruto_

The Yondaime received recommendation for all three of them to be promoted to jounins and he would do just that. Before issuing the order, Minato took some time to remember his son's accomplishments over the years. He remembered when Naruto managed to awaken his chakra and the time when the boy joined the academy. He remembered when Naruto managed to graduate and become a genin. Minato remembered how afraid he was when he saw Naruto's face in the bingo book. Now, his boy was going to become a jounin. It was quite an accomplishment for someone so young, since they weren't in times of war, even though the village just suffered an invasion attempt. Minato wished more than anything, to see more of his son's accomplishments in the future. A sudden knock on his door alerted Minato, before he saw the great bundle of joy that was his daughter walk in with her mother. As soon as the door was opened fully, Misao barged inside and threw her tiny body towards her father, knowing that the man would grab her with a strong hug. The Yondaime Hokage let out a smile that brightened the room upon seeing his daughter showing so much affection towards her old tou-san. Kushina just smiled at the man she loved, relieved that despite the assault against the village, Konoha came out victorious and, better yet, she didn't lose either Minato or Naruto to those Iwa-nins. Unrolling the scroll she was holding, Kushina wondered if she should let father and daughter bond some more, before talking about the casualties at the hospital.

Despite a great number of wounded shinobi, Konoha's General Hospital had a surprisingly high rate of recovery, with very few that ended up succumbing to the damage taken from the invasion and passed away. Nevertheless, it didn't mean that the woman was thrilled with the results. Unfortunately, a great number of those that managed to recover wouldn't be able to keep their ninja status active. However, it was better than dying, she supposed. There were a lot of things these men could do to aid Konoha, despite their forced retirement. Now, the report she was about to give Minato was regarding two patients of hers that didn't recover nor succumbed to death. She used her skills as a mother and convinced Misao to go play at the room next door where Minato placed some toys for her, before sitting in front of her husband. Minato could see the look on Kushina's face and he knew what it was about.

"Here's the report from the hospital, Minato-kun. Very few passed away, which was surprising. Our medical knowledge must have improved, because I was expecting much more casualties. Unfortunately, some of the recovered shinobi won't be able to continue their lives as active shinobi, but at least they get to see their loved ones. There are two patients that so far none of us managed to do anything about it" Kushina waited for Minato to pass through the report, before she continued. "Momochi Haku and Zabuza are in critical condition. Zabuza is suffering from extensive chakra exhaustion and Haku fell into a deep coma. We managed to sustain Zabuza's condition for one, maybe two weeks at the most. But we don't have the knowledge to completely heal him" Minato nodded, already knowing why his wife was showing that look for. Kushina was a proud medic-nin and she was furious, mostly with herself, when she couldn't heal a patient.

"Let me guess…you wish me to reach Tsunade and call her back to heal them?" One thing Kushina loved about her husband was that the man knew her so much that she mused sometimes if the Namikaze had the ability of reading minds.

"I know that, due to the state she's in right now, due to Dan and Nawaki's deaths, there is a high possibility that she won't listen to your call. So, I was wondering if you could assemble a team with me to find her. At least, if she doesn't wish to come back, she can tell me what to do with Zabuza and Haku." Said requested surprised Minato, but then he knew how dedicated Kushina is to healing her patients. However, the man was in a stalemate right now. In his list, was the main event, the meeting he and Sarutobi would have with the Fire Daimyou and his advisors, regarding the compensations that will be asked of Wind and Earth Country, due to Suna and Iwagakure's unjustified acts against Konoha. Thus, he wouldn't be able to devote much time to the family. Now, Kushina is asking to leave as well in search for Tsunade. He wasn't worried about Naruto, but rather his two year old daughter Misao.

"Honey, I have an important meeting in a few hours with the Fire Daimyo and I don't know how long it's going to take; if you leave to find Tsunade then who will take care of Misao?" Kushina was expecting said question and smirked. She wasn't thinking of leaving her daughter in Naruto and Yuugao's hands, since both would be busy between missions.

"I talked with Koshino-chan and she agreed to watch Misao for me. This is important" The woman was showing her fists to Minato, which clearly wasn't a good sign, still he had leverage to convince her to stay and take care of their daughter.

"Also, Kushina-chan, all the teams are busy either doing missions or repairing the damage done to the village. I can't just send any team to protect you, what if some village attacks you?"

"What about Naruto-kun's team? They are strong enough to protect me aren't they? I bet that Anko alone would be more than enough to protect me and anyone who touched me would suffer the Kazeryuu's wrath" Her pride for Naruto's reputation was clearly visible, but Minato wished to give the boy a break, after the invasion. Ever since he was a little boy, he suffered attempts from Iwagakure. But with the invasion, it showed how desperate they were to get revenge for what Minato did during the last war. Naruto was very responsible for his age, but he just couldn't face a burden meant for his father. Kushina knew this and, after seeing her husband's downed face, immediately regretted asking.

"I'm sorry Minato-kun…I know you wanted to give him a break of sorts to process things a bit."

"Have you seen him lately?" After Iwa's desperate move of destroying Konoha for the single purpose of killing a Namikaze, Naruto withdrew himself from people. He took care of his duties without question, but his father knew better. Just a look in Naruto's eyes told him that his boy was suffering. He understood why, though, hence why he hadn't talked with him yet. Before the invasion, Naruto was already aware of Iwa's hatred towards the Namikaze. However, he didn't know that said hatred was enough to motivate an invasion against Konoha entirely, in complete disregard to the pact of neutrality signed by the five great hidden villages.

"Naruto-kun fought bravely Kushina-chan, Sandaime-sama attested to that. After he recovers, I'll grant him the position of jounin. However, perhaps a rather simple mission outside could give him time to process things easier. I'll call in his team, then, to escort you. Can you handle things? Get your gear prepared Kushina-chan, they will meet you in two hours at the gates" Kushina smiled at her husband, before grabbing Misao and taking her to Yoshino's home. It was good that Naruto was going with her, meaning that she could talk to him and probably help him overcome this problem.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

In his chunnin attire, the blond was lying on top of his house's roof as he looked at the clouds passing by. The faces of those Iwa-nins were still inside his mind as he questioned the real reason behind such resolve in killing a Namikaze so badly. What drove Iwa to believe that taking revenge was the right thing to do? Sure, his father alone managed to kill a great deal of their shinobi, but it was times of war back then. Iwa-nins killed a lot of ninjas from Konoha as well, but that didn't mean that they had to invade them for the sole purpose of revenge. His doubt relied mostly in what the word 'hatred' really meant and its effects on those who have lost their loved ones. Naruto, himself, had killed a lot of Iwa-nins now. Did that mean that he was the cause of said hatred as well as his father? In rational terms, his acts were justified, seeing as Iwagakure invaded Konoha in order to wipe everyone off the map. But would their families think the same way? Or would they succumb to hatred that even though Iwa started the offense, it was Naruto's blade that ended up piercing the enemy's hearts? So many questions were left unanswered in his mind that the blond chunnin didn't even notice the presence of his girlfriend landing on the rooftop.

"I figured you'd be here, Naruto-kun…Anko told me that she hasn't seen you since the invasion. What's the matter?"

Still, disguised as an Anbu, Yuugao took a seat next to Naruto as she took a moment to study her boyfriend's face expression. Naruto was a fighter ever since she saw him for the first time. She remembered that day clearly. Not even four years old and he was already using genin level skills to escape from those Iwa-nins. Since that day, the blond never ceased to grow and until now, she never saw him questioning anything. He always took responsibility for the curse that was being a Namikaze, without any sort of complaint. Now, though, it appeared that he was giving up that resolve in which she fell in love with and it scared her somewhat. This wasn't her Naruto.

"I'm just processing some things, that's all Yuugao-chan."

"What sort of things?"

"The invasion, for instance, or rather the reason why Iwagakure joined at all. From what I heard, Iwagakure sent a total battalion of approximately four hundred shinobi and for what, just to kill one of us. Their goal wasn't to wipe Konoha, but rather me or my father. I knew that they resented us for our kills and, clearly, hatred overruled their minds, but when is it going to end, I wonder. Both of us are committed to their goals…theirs is vengeance, mine and my father is to protect Konoha and our family, no matter what it takes. Sooner or later, one side will perish and for what? Hatred can't be the only reason for this mess, can it?" Yuugao didn't interrupt her lover now that she knew the reason behind his wonderings. When he finished his explanation with a question directed at her, she smiled beneath her mask, before taking it off and grabbing his chin gently.

Naruto was momentarily surprised when she locked lips with him, before closing his eyes for a moment. When they stopped, he could see her beautiful smile at him.

"I don't know how to answer your question Naruto-kun, we are ninjas, thus trained to kill or protect. No matter what you do, you just can't convince someone lost in hatred to simply stop everything and put in the past. Tell me something, what would you do if you saw your family or me getting killed? You'd take revenge, right?" The woman stopped for a while, until Naruto nodded with sadness in his eyes, realizing that she was right. "No matter how perfect we try to be, we're still human. If something or someone precious to us is taken away, quite surely 'hatred' will follow. Unfortunately, it's a never-ending cycle of sorts. What we can do is look out for those we cherish and protect them with our lives. This is the meaning to true strength and I can see you have this resolve in your eyes, even if now you seem lost."

Naruto looked at her in surprise for a while, but smiled in response. He, indeed, took a vow to protect Konoha and his family. He now had an answer to his dilemma. His goal will always be the protection of those he loved and cherished. And he'll stop everyone that threatens to take them away from him. Naruto remembered his first kill, protecting Neji's life by killing the enemy. The blond, then, turned to his girlfriend and used his hand to caress her soft skin, before smiling as the woman closed her eyes because of the affection. The blond was lucky that he had such a perfect woman.

"Thank you Yuugao-chan, now it's better that you place your mask back on. I hear steps approaching. I appreciate what you did for me, I really do. I'm really lucky to have you in my life." Yuugao instantly went into professional mode and placed her mask back on, while caressing Naruto's face gently, followed by passing her gloved hand through his soft golden hair. He said that he was lucky to have her in his life, but she felt that _she _was the lucky one.

"We are both lucky, then, Naruto-kun."

Yuugao said, before she left in a shunshin just as Neji, Tenten and Anko appeared. Neji and Tenten stopped and wondered why the blond was smiling for no apparent reason whatsoever. But Anko knew what happened, because she sensed Yuugao's presence lingering close to their location. She was glad that Yuugao helped Naruto, but right now they had business.

"Naruto, the Hokage gave us a B-ranked escort mission, we have to meet the client in half an hour at the gates." Anko said, before Naruto nodded and went inside his house to pack his supplies. Anko smirked and prepared the camera ready when Naruto realizes who the client is.

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**===Two hours later===**

"So, let me see if I understand? Because of the attacks sustained in the attack, Zabuza is suffering from severe chakra exhaustion and Haku is in a coma. And the only person that is able to heal them is none other than the Sannin Tsunade, a woman who refused to return to Konoha because of the deaths of her fiancée and little brother. Now, not only do we have to find this woman, which no one knows where she is, but we also have to convince her to let go of what happened and come back to heal Zabuza and Haku." Naruto summed up, before seeing his mother nodding her head with a smile on her face, as if they were going to a picnic.

When Naruto saw that the client was his mother, the blond was shocked. Anko was pretty amused at his face when he saw his mother's long red hair upon arriving at the gates. Her picture was perhaps the best one she had of Naruto. Tenten and Neji were behind Anko, Naruto and Kushina, talking between each other, while Naruto was massaging his forehead a bit. Why did his mother need to be in this mission in the first place? His team could go find Tsunade and talk to her, no problem. Upon voicing his question, he groaned once Kushina took the opportunity to play with her son a little bit.

"Why Naruto-kun…don't you like my company? Don't you like your little kaa-san?" Kushina, then, used the teary eye technique that both he and his father fell victim to quite often. Naruto heard Anko snickering from behind him, but he ignored her. He, then, hugged Kushina with her left arm and landed a kiss on her cheek.

"Course I like you mom, I'm just wondering why. I just don't remember you ever leaving Konoha without tou-san with you." Kushina smiled at her son's display of affection and decided to explain the real reason why she was going.

"Tsunade-sama, as you know, is perhaps the top medic-nin in the elemental nations. I'm sure that if someone can heal those two it would be her. Thing is I'm not sure that I can convince her to come back with me. So, if I see that there isn't a chance, I'll ask her to teach me how to do it. I have Zabuza and Haku's charts with me. Our goal, though, would be to bring her back so that she could take over the medical ward of Konoha. Your father has constantly asked her to take over, but she constantly denied the request. With my knowledge, I've been taking care of things, but Konoha's hospital has been like her home more than Konoha itself."

Naruto nodded, before turning to Anko.

"How are we going to find this woman, anyway? We don't even know if she's in Fire Country for that manner?".

"One thing we know about her is that Tsunade is a gambling addict. So, it's very likely that she's hanging around places with casinos and gambling houses. Throughout Fire Country, only one place comes to mind…Otafuku Gai. We'll start there. After that, we can use one of your wolves to sniff out her scent, perhaps." Naruto nodded as they continued their travel towards Otafuku Gai. Naruto went to Neji and Tenten, before engaging in a conversation regarding the invasion and their part in it, leaving Anko and Kushina alone at the front. From the corner of her eye, Kushina could see that her son was a bit more relaxed than before, thus she wondered what happened.

Anko already knew what happened and smiled at the concerned mother.

"You can thank your future daughter-in-law for that, Kushina-sama." Anko said, surprising Kushina, seeing as she hadn't said anything. Her concern for Naruto was quite obvious, though, and the crafty jounin caught it. "A couple hours before our departure, we searched for Naruto and saw him on the roof talking with Yuugao-chan. From what I could see, the two of them were just talking and Yuugao was wearing her Anbu mask, but I'm pretty sure that she managed to ease his worries somewhat." Kushina nodded, while smiling at the jounin. Kushina always enjoyed Yuugao's company, even though the Anbu captain was a bit reserved for her taste.

* * *

**===Fire Lord's Residence===**

The Fire Lord's Residence was actually the size of both the Hyuuga and Uchiha clan's compounds put together. A great load of trees surrounded the land and it even had a large river crossing the terrain. Inside one of the buildings was an expensive oak table with five chairs on each side, with one big chair for the Fire Lord. On the right side of the table, were representatives from Konoha, the sannin Jiraiya, the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato, and the Sandaime Sarutobi Hiruzen, the head of the Anbu and the leader of the jounin Nara Shikaku. On the left side, stood the five main advisors of the Fire Lord, all of them wearing black kimonos and weird looking hats that looked like the pope. The Fire Lord, as usual, was maintaining that smile on his face as he cooled himself with his most precious fan. Some always wondered why the man keeps that smile on his face in dire situations such as this one, but none would be stupid enough to voice it out loud.

The advisor that was closest to the Daimyou adjusted his glasses before addressing the Yondaime Hokage.

"Indeed, such a deliberate attack against Konoha from Sunagakure and Iwagakure will bring consequences to the Earth Lord and Wind Lord, Yondaime-sama. You can be sure that we'll be forwarding your demands to both hidden villages. Also, we'll begin with the village reparations right away." Namikaze Minato nodded, before taking a scroll from inside his Hokage robe and opening for everyone to see. It contained the list of demands conjured by him, the Sandaime Hokage and the Head of the Jounin council Nara Shikaku, regarding both the reparation funds and compensation for breaking the path of neutrality.

"In this scroll, we've listed our demands to both Sunagakure and Iwagakure. The monetary compensation is blank, seeing as the damage isn't yet analyzed, but I'm sure your fellow advisors could fill the blank, after we settle the value." He saw the second advisor nodding at him, before he continued. "Now, I'm not speaking for Iwagakure, but Orochimaru came to the Chunnin Exams disguised as the Yondaime Kazekage, which at first we assumed the man was assassinated by the Sannin. Our confirmation came later on from my sensei Jiraiya. That being said, I believe that we must blame Iwagakure more than Sunagakure, seeing as they were tricked by Orochimaru. Hiruzen Sarutobi believes, and I agree, that every demand we make of Suna will be attended without hesitation, but Iwagakure won't so the same."

"Is it too much faith you're placing in Suna, Minato-kun?" The Daimyou asked. "I understand that Orochimaru is a very cunning individual and one of the Densetsu no Sannin, but to believe that an entire village could be made hostage of one man…"

The second of his advisors, the man with grumpy skin and eyes closes, turned to the Daimyou.

"Excuse me Daimyou-sama, but I understand Minato's concerns a bit. We just received confirmation that the Wind Daimyou was deliberately cutting resources from Suna and contracting Konoha for missions. So, while I'm not saying that Suna isn't to blame for this mess, we can lessen the demands on them. We could possibly enforce them as further allies by saying that they are lucky that we are not retaliating with force." Both Minato and Hiruzen knew the man and his highly ambitions. Thus, they wouldn't be surprised if the man used his influence to take the Daimyou's place and rule Fire Country. The man in question smiled at such an idea, but dismissed it entirely.

"I admire your passion, but no…we'll stick with the demands set by the Hokage. Now, there are some financial treaties stuck between us and both Daimyous that we can take advantage of, given the situation." The five ninjas remained stoic to said business, but inside all of them were sick to the stomach. They knew politics, they knew It very well, but not like this. The Daimyou was taking political advantage of the event that killed a great load of people, being from Konoha, Suna and Iwagakure. It was one thing to demand compensations and return the status quo, but using it for business purposes was sickening. However, no one could do anything now. This meeting was held to enforce Konoha's demands for compensation only, but now it turned into a business opportunity. Minato just thanked the heavens that only those he trusted were there to accompany him. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Danzou was here.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Moments after they crossed the gate of the city of Otafuku Gai, Anko and Kushina turned to the team of chunnins and told them to split up in search for a blond woman with watermelon sized breasts that defy gravity. Kushina almost fell on the floor upon hearing Anko's description of Tsunade. The worse part of the whole thing was that her team didn't even seemed perturbed by it, meaning that they got used to their sensei's antics. Kushina and Anko would go together, same as Neji and Tenten, which Naruto found it strange, seeing as Tenten almost dragged the Hyuuga chunnin away from the group. With the four of them forming pairs, Naruto ended up alone.

"Well, I might as well get something to eat around here. I bet they have a good ramen stand somewhere."

As the blond wandered throughout the city, he could see all sorts of different stands, where people could lose their money to. He heard people shouting happily, after winning and others from indignation over losing theirs. This entire city thrived on gambling, Naruto remembered. He, then, took a right turn, before his eyes widened, same as his mouth in shock. Because there in front of him, was probably the best stand ever in this place; a Ramen Stand. The blond, immediately, took out some of his money and jumped on top of the table separating the kitchen from the seats. Then, one after another, the blond was happily filling his stomach with the food of the gods. The empty plates were piling up next to him and the chef was sweating bullets while making as much ramen as possible to satisfy the shinobi from Konoha. Eventually, Naruto started rubbing his belly in self-induced pleasure. He missed ramen so much and he couldn't eat it at home. One of the few stands that the invasion destroyed was Ichiraku Ramen. They would take at least a week to buy new supplies and a new stove to prepare the delicious food. Just when he was about to pay the good man for this delicious food, he heard a strange voice from his back.

"I wouldn't imagine you ever coming here to bring me back, Minato-kun. Konoha must really be in need of a medic to send their Hokage personally to try and convince me to come back." Naruto turned to see the woman that matched Anko's description. He seriously thought the woman was joking when she said that about Tsunade's breasts. Kami forbid he would be caught staring at them anytime soon. He knew about the woman's strength and her temper, from his mother and father. _Wait, did she call me Minato-kun? I know I had a growth sprout since after the ritual, but I do not look like my old man, do I? _

"You must be mistaking me with someone else. I'm not Namikaze Minato, but rather his son, Namikaze Naruto" As soon as Naruto introduced himself, he noticed that another woman was standing behind Tsunade, while holding a dressed pig in her arms. Tsunade overcame her initial shock of seeing such resemblance between father and son. Now that she realized, this person wasn't using the Hokage robes, and the vest, if she remembered it correctly, was a chunnin. Despite that, she was surprised at seeing Naruto. It was the first time she saw him and she kind of felt regret over not visiting Minato and Kushina's son all this time. Still, she wondered if Minato decided to use his son to convince her to come back, since she denied his written pleas all those times.

"What are you doing here, Naruto? Did your father send you here to bring me back?" Tsunade said, as she took a seat next to the blond while the other woman took a seat on the left. The woman that accompanied Tsunade was named Shizune from what he remembered his father telling him. Naruto smiled at the question, but shook his head in a negative.

"I'm only here on an escorting mission. The client wished to find someone here in Otafuku Gai, so my team is searching for this person right now. I just needed to eat something." Naruto knew that if he was to divulge the real reason as to why he was in Otafuku Gai, this lady would attempt an escape, so as to avoid Konoha's pledge for Tsunade to come back. Zabuza and Haku needed her skills right now and Naruto would do everything in his power to at least improve their chances of recovery. His only hope, now, was that either his mother or Anko arrived before Tsunade left. That being said, it was time to stall the old lady. "Say Tsunade-sama, I only heard bits and pieces about you from my mother, father and even from Jiraiya. I wonder, though, why we haven't met before? From what my Kaa-san told me, you two were good friends." Shizune tensed at the question, though it didn't came laced with supposed venom, hence why Tsunade just smiled at him and answered.

"I'm so very sorry about not meeting you in the past, Naruto-kun. I'm sure everyone explained to you what happened to my beloved brother and fiancée." Naruto nodded, while offering her his sympathies for their loss. "Apart from your parents and Jiraiya, Dan and Nawaki were everything to me. Both of them were very special to me. I don't know if you would understand, but when I lost them, I just couldn't stay in Konoha any longer, nor could I ever come back to that place. I'm not sure if you would understand the pain of losing someone close to you. I…"

"No I don't actually. But I wouldn't know what to do either, probably. I have a little sister named Misao and a girlfriend called Yuugao. I wouldn't know what I would do if I lost even one of them, let alone two." Tsunade smiled at the kid in front of her. She was at first irritated that he interrupted her, but upon hearing that Kushina and Minato had another child, a girl, brought a smile to her face. Naruto chose this moment of silence and spoke. "I knew that both Dan and Nawaki died at the Second Great Ninja War and that, since then, something in you died. My mother's words, so please forgive me." Tsunade nodded, already enjoying Naruto's company. Something in him reminded her of both Minato and Kushina. She remembered that, before leaving Konoha, both would constantly accompany her to let her know that they were always there for her. She could feel the same aura of tranquility from the man in front of him. Tsunade was almost about to explain further, when a much familiar voice surprised her.

"I take it you've finally meet my son Tsunade-hime. May I have a word with you for a second" Kushina said, while landing a gentle hand on her shoulder, surprising Tsunade. She, then, turned to a smirking Naruto.

"You told me you were on an escort mission, what is she doing here?" Naruto smirked, while relieved that his mother arrived.

"I was…our mission was to escort Kaa-san in her quest to find you. Now, if you all excuse me, I'll go find my team to tell them our mission is finished. It was great meeting you both Tsunade and Shizune." Naruto saluted them all, before leaving in a shunshin to avoid the woman's ire. He heard from his father how she almost killed his godfather once she caught him peeking at her taking a bath.

"Oh that brat, I swear that he got this side from you Kushina-chan." Tsunade said as a vein popped on her forehead. She saw the smirk of pride coming from Kushina. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

* * *

**Author Note**

And here's the end of this chapter. It was actually just the aftermath of the invasion. More of a chapter to close the invasion arc, actually.

As I said at the beginning of this chapter, from here on out, I won't be following the Shippuuden timeline, nor the events that happened so far in cannon. I'll create new arcs with new missions and new adventures for Naruto's team. When he comes back from this mission, he'll be promoted to Jounin. Now, the missions will be much harder (A, probably a few S-ranked missions), very heavy action with lots of fighting. I'm even thinking of a time skip very soon, a long time skip. Maybe three to five years. Seriously, a have a lot of plans reserved for this fic and like I said before, I don't plan on ending it any time soon. No sir!

Tell me what you think about it.

See ya!


	29. Suspicions

**Author Note**

Welcome ladies and gentleman to another Chapter of Full Moon.

I don't know if many of my readers had a chance to read the last chapter of another story of mine called 'Meshii'. Right at the beginning of the chapter, I placed a message there about the fact that I'll be ending this story in about five chapters and an epilogue if necessary. I feel that my addiction for creating new stories ended up causing more harm than good in the end. I know that many of you warned me about it – quite constantly I might add. However, the main reason as to why I'm doing this isn't because of the complaints. Seriously, I have seen many writers take even longer periods of time to update their stories. It's a common practice for those who have a life (I mean a job) outside of this world we live in. Also, I know that last chapter I said that I intended to explore new arcs with this story, but now I decided against it. It's imperative to finish at least two stories by the end of the year and that will be my intention.

That being said, I'm open to suggestions, beginning right now, on how to end it with style.

This will be the first chapter of the five chapter sequence and it will involve lots of action, which I humbly can attest, it's sort of an especially of mine as I heard from a lot of readers.

Now, last chapter, Naruto and his team were hired by Naruto's mom Kushina to escort her in her quest to find the Sannin Senju Tsunade. The reason of the search was for her to heal two important ninjas as well as take over the hospital administration. Upon reaching the city of Tanzaku Gai, the team split up with the order to look for the blond big breasted lady. The blond chunnin, so far alien to the fact that he would become a jounin soon, went to a local ramen stand, deciding that it would be good to find some ramen to eat before looking for the sannin. However, that ended up being for the best as he managed to find her, or rather she found him thinking it was his father. After some conversion, Kushina and Anko arrived.

* * *

**Chapter 29 – Suspicions**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

Chart by chart, Tsunade sighed in dismay at probably the tenth patient she had visited today at the Konohagakure Hospital.

It'd been two months since the woman's return from a trip of solitude filled with nothing but gambling and drinking for more than twenty years. It took two Namikazes to convince her that taking care of the hospital was a way for her to let go of the past by helping others. To this day, it still amazed her how stubborn Kushina could be. Tsunade remembered how the woman just shot the Sannin's arguments to hell every time, regarding her lover and brother's deaths. Tsunade remembered being very pissed on that occasion, which ended up being her downfall. The woman used Tsunade's dirty habit of gambling whenever an opportunity arose and made a bet with her. Strangely enough, Kushina came up with a battle between the two, to see if Kushina was strong enough to defeat a sannin.

Being out of shape for about twenty years did little to increase Tsunade's chances. Because of constant interactions with Minato, Naruto and Misao, Kushina ended up practicing once or twice every week.

It was quite pitiful to Tsunade's fame, but the woman accepted her loss and returned to take care of the hospital. Once she came back, her first order of duty was to heal Haku and Zabuza. To any high level medic-nin, it would be next to impossible to heal both. However, being considered the most renowned medic in all the elemental nations, even if a bit out of shape, the woman managed to cure them with her knowledge and the concentrated use of special medical techniques. After that, things got pretty slow for the slug sannin, really. It turned out that Kushina was doing a rather nice job taking care of the place, so Tsunade's only issue was the patient's treatments, or rather the lack of it. The hospital was properly administered, but the doctors lacked the most updated treatments. Because of it, the rate in which the wounded were treated increased considerably. Now, with only one chart left to take a look at, Tsunade smirked at the name that appeared right in front of her.

**Namikaze Naruto**

That kid maybe as strong as his father, but he certainly inherited some of his mother's recklessness. Two weeks ago, he was sent along with a team of jounins to Kirigakure on an A-ranked mission. It was, at first, a reconnaissance mission issued by the Hokage, regarding some rumors that one of the great hidden villages were considering attacking Konoha, while it was weak because of the invasion. It turned out that the Mist Village was rather busy dealing with its own bloody civil war and wouldn't even think of attacking Konoha, even if the leaf citizens were still recuperating from the heavy blow. However, Naruto's team ended up bumping into a heavy fort of Kirigakure shinobi. No one of his team was killed, but they certainly took considerable hits trying to escape from twenty rather pissed Kiri shinobis. The fact that the team was consisted of only four jounins – including Naruto by the way – made the blond Namikaze realize that facing them would be a ludicrous attempt. Problem was he took too long to issue the order and the team got hurt because of it. Tsunade wasn't privy to what really happened, but she had the basic details.

In the end, though, the mission was a success, because all that they needed to ascertain was whether or not Kirigakure was mobilizing an army to invade the weakened Konoha.

As she approached the room he was being treated, Tsunade began to hear some faint noises coming from the direction she was going. A few seconds later, she realized that it was Naruto and he was talking to someone else inside his room. Visiting hours were already over and everyone who mattered to Naruto had already come to visit him. The strong third voice she heard didn't belong to anyone she knew in Konoha. As soon as she opened his door, the woman was surprised to see Naruto sitting on the table next to his bed. His eyes were focused on the shogi board and his opponent was a considerably large two tailed wolf. Seeing the smirk the animal was showing, it was almost as if he was having fun at Naruto's misfortune.

"**Give it up already, Naruto-kun. You cannot win this…" **

"Would you stop it already, let me think damn it. You won't win this time, Ahh I get it. Take this…" The wolf looked at Naruto's desperate move and simply caught the piece with his mouth and placed where he wanted it to be.

"**You lost once more, Naruto-kun. It's five wins for me and three for you." **The fact that Tsunade was being ignored by both of them started to irritate her. By this time, she long ago surpassed the urge to question why Naruto was playing shogi with a wolf. She was about to demand their attention when she saw both sniffing the air a bit. Both Naruto and the wolf were starting to become nauseated. They were wondering where the sudden strong smell of alcohol was coming from. Naruto, then, turned his head and saw Tsunade standing there near the door, with that vein of hers popping from her forehead. Well, at least, he figured out where the strong smell of alcohol came from.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you at last Tsunade of the Sannin." The wolf greeted the medic-nin, earning a nod from her.

"…she was the cause behind the scent of alcohol we smelt earlier." If the woman was angry at what Naruto said, the vein on her forehead alone overcame the necessity of punching the jounin.

Tsunade wouldn't give in, though, and just ignored it.

"Whatever kid, I just came in to see how you're doing, so stay quiet while I perform a diagnosis." Naruto nodded and returned to his game, while Tsunade's glowing green hand passed through his wounds. Despite Naruto's fast recovery rate, due to his blood fusion with the wolves, she still felt inclined to check on him. It was impressive, nevertheless, as Naruto's status would only be achievable after two weeks of good rest. He was administered inside the hospital three days ago.

"Not a surprise there…it seems you'll be able to leave two days from now."

The jounin smiled at the news, despite the fact that his attention was locked on the game.

"That's good to hear Tsunade-sama. I was afraid I'd never leave this place." Tsunade snorted at this, though, while finishing her analysis. Naruto was anxious after only three days in here, while others were content taking two weeks. She shouldn't be surprised, though, considering the kid's never ending stamina. The amount of energy inside of him shouldn't be stored, but spent. As a result, Naruto ended up getting anxious and relentless. She was only content that the brat took this long to complain.

"Okay, all finished. Get some rest."

After the sannin left, Naruto sighed in dismay and admitted defeat. He returned to his bed and lied down a bit, completely ignoring his partner for a while, as Naruto pondered on the events in Kirigakure. His team had received a very sensitive information gathering mission towards the hidden mist village, in order to check if Kiri was attempting an attack on the weakened Konoha. After checking that Kirigakure was deep in a civil war, Naruto's team turned to leave the area in order to report their findings. However, as soon as they turned, an entire platoon of the Mizukage's forces surrounded them; forcing them to fight or else they would be captured. When it was evident that they wouldn't be able to survive, Naruto issued the retreat. It came too late, as his team was heavily injured, leaving only himself to fend off the pursuers. The majestic glow of the moon in all its glory was the only thing Naruto remembered seeing, before _it_ happened.

His entire body was in pain and his blood was boiling. Naruto was alone against ten kiri jounins. His only option was to free the beast within him.

The effect was instantaneous as Naruto's clothes were ripped apart. From his skin, thick black fur grew, covering his entire body. His eyes were transformed from ocean blue to feral yellow. To his enemies, Naruto was gone and in his place, appeared a black furred werewolf. Some tried to attack the beast, but with a new agility, beyond human, sent at least five into unconsciousness. The rest of the enemies were forced to flee as they knew very little about this new menace. The bad thing, though, was that Naruto's little escapade resulted in him being identified by one single Kiri shinobi who escaped. Now, his name was in Kirigakure's bingo books as an A-ranked threat with a flee on sight order.

"I suppose you're now wondering about your recent entry in Kiri's bingo book, ne **Garou** (Werewolf)?" Naruto's shogi opponent was smiling at him.

Naruto knew that the wolves weren't happy with his reputation in Iwagakure, simply because of the comparison to dragons, instead of wolves. Now, they were satisfied. But Naruto wasn't…His reputation in Iwagakure ended up causing the very village to invade Konoha. Granted that his father's rep helped in that regard, Naruto's was also to blame for what happened. The more skilled and notorious you become, the more threatened others will be because of it. He doubted his conscious could accept another invasion driven by revenge on his family.

"I don't know if I share the wolves' enthusiasm. What would happen if Kirigakure came after Konoha just because of me? I'm still not over what happened with Iwagakure." The wolf snorted at his summoner's concern.

"As you said, Kirigakure is in civil war and its state is far worse than Konoha is right now. There is no reason for concern, Naruto."

A part of Naruto, the logical one, believed in that statement as well. The other part, the conquering one, believed that vengeance knew no obstacles. The wolf sighed at Naruto's downed face and decided to let him be for the moment. It wouldn't do any good to talk to the blond right now. "I'll be going now Naruto. Sort things out a bit and we'll talk later." The wolf, named Genshin, said its goodbyes, before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Bastard left without even waiting for Naruto to respond.

* * *

**===Two days later===**

After signing the release forms, Naruto was free to go home. He received a new jounin outfit from Yuugao, who actually came along with his sister Misao. Naruto was surprised that his mother wasn't nearby. Misao, like Naruto, was very energetic and needed to be controlled in public. Yuugao managed to replace Kushina a bit, though Naruto figured that that happened because his little sister became good friends with Yuugao. Little to his knowledge, though, Misao wanted to tag along with her big brother's girlfriend and possibly convince Yuugao to spar with her afterwards. She was Minato and Kushina's daughter after all. Kushina, for her part, always enjoyed indulging Yuugao's ability to take care of children, for some reason that Naruto

"Are you alright, Niisan?"

Namikaze Misao was like a miniature version of Kushina like Naruto was a miniature version of Minato at Misao's age. She had long red hair that went all the way to her waist and she was wearing a short black kimono and with fishnet clothing beneath it. She saw Naruto coming out from his room already dressed and tackled him to the ground. Naruto, though, managed to parry her strength, though it ended up costing him a bit of pain, because of it. His wounds weren't completely healed yet. But it wouldn't' take much longer, according to the medics.

"I'm fine Misao-chan. How are you doing?" The big brother said as he caressed Misao's head rather roughly earning a lot of giggling from the energetic girl. Naruto, then, gave Yuugao a kiss and smiled at his girlfriend.

"How are your wounds?" Yuugao, being an Anbu, managed to see Naruto's pain upon coping with Misao's enthusiastic greeting. She was worried about him after what happened at the mission. Neither of them knew much of the repercussions of Naruto's transformation.

"A little sore, but doctors said that tomorrow I won't be feeling much pain. Say Misao-chan, would you care to accompany you big brother for some ramen?" Upon hearing that word, Misao acted like her mother would, punching the air in excitement at going to Ichiraku's. Naruto lifted Misao and placed her above his shoulders, after leaving the hospital with Yuugao. As soon as he left the hospital, they bumped into Neji and Tenten. Naruto's teammates joined the group and all five of them went together to Ichirakus Ramen, though both Neji and Tenten had already eaten.

* * *

**===At the Yondaime's Office===**

"So let me get this straight…" Minato was inside his office with Anbu Captain Weasel, but without his mask on. This morning, Uchiha Itachi came to the Yondaime with the weirdest request ever. Weirder than the ones Jiraiya-sensei asked from time to time. "You wish to engage in a battle against my son Naruto?" Ever since the Uchiha Incident, Itachi had grown rather distant from his family as well as others. It got worse seeing as both Sasuke and Mikoto were registered shinobi as well, which meant that the family only saw each other once or twice a month. Sasuke, nowadays, was spending more time with Kakashi so as to become a chunnin. Mikoto was performing B-ranked missions non-stop with two other chunnin kunoichis and Itachi was an Anbu captain. As a result, they grew apart and the sense of family ended up being forgotten over time. Minato cursed Fugaku's actions, but he guessed that the situation could be far worse than mere family issues needed solving.

Now, here came Itachi with a strange request like this.

"I realize the oddity behind my request Yondaime-sama, but since your son was born, I observed his growth. I always admired his mentality and drive for constant increase in skills. Today, I can fairly attest that he became an outstanding shinobi and a powerful opponent to test my abilities against." Minato could feel where Itachi was coming from, since he actually felt this way sometimes. The problem with prodigies is that they needed to constantly test themselves. A prodigy wasn't satisfied until he could beat even his shadow in combat.

From what the Anbu said, he had been keeping tabs on Naruto's growth since day one and saw in him a rival to test his skills against in the future. Sure, Naruto's growth mirrored only the greatest shinobis in Konoha like Itachi, Kakashi, the Sannin and even the Kages. However there was a reason Itachi came in with the request, instead of proposing the challenge directly to the Yondaime's son. Itachi's plan didn't involve a friendly spar every now and then, but a full out fight, meant to test, once and for all, who's the strongest. Minato always entrusted the tougher missions to men like Kakashi and Itachi, because he knew that rarely out there, would they find stronger opponents than themselves. Perhaps, Naruto is at the same level as them? Even if it was true, the consequences of such a fight could be disastrous. But….now Minato was at a loss of what to do. If he asked his son's opinion, no doubt Naruto would accept without a doubt.

"In regular situations, it would be ill advised of me to put two of my strongest ninjas against one another. I know what you intend once I authorize the match, you two would fight as enemies, instead of comrades. However, I know that my son would accept it right away. I'll tell you this…talk to him and see what he thinks. If he accepts, then I'll prepare the arrangements. However, this fight will be on my terms. I'm not about to lose my son because of this nor I'm comfortable with losing you as well. I'm not talking about your asset to the village, Itachi."

"I understand Yondaime-sama. I'll talk to him about it and see his answer. Also, I appreciate this opportunity. I'll take my leave now." Itachi placed his mask back on and vanished from Minato's office.

Afterward, Minato became absorbed in his thoughts, as he pictured a fight between Naruto and Itachi. Both had dangerous techniques and Itachi had his evolved Mangenkyou Sharingan techniques that would no doubt kill Naruto, if he used. Minato was picturing the Ametarasu burning his son to a crisp. The thought alone sent chills down his spine. If such a thing happened, then it would be his fault not Itachi's, for even allowing this madness. Naruto wasn't a pushover either and he could, just as easily, damage Itachi's body beyond repair with his fuuton techniques. Minato admitted to being curious, now, about who the victor would be if his son engaged with the Uchiha prodigy. However, the other part of him was afraid that something would happen to Naruto and he wouldn't be able to stop it. Still, Minato was wondering about another thing he noticed while talking to the stoic Anbu.

Itachi was smiling. Since Minato remembered, not once did he smile in front of the Yondaime.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

From the conversation between Minato and Itachi, two hours had passed and now Naruto was inside his house, as he was supposed to rest for the day. The sun was already setting down and because of it, the sunlight was almost fully inside Naruto's room, obscuring his vision a bit. Despite this, the blond's eyes managed to catch a glimpse of a presence invading the compound. He knew that no one would enter the house from that direction, so he grabbed his trench knives and moved to intercept the intruder. As soon as he appeared on his mother's garden, Naruto was surprised to see an Anbu there looking at him.

"Greetings, Namikaze Naruto."

Naruto recognized the mask as this man was sometimes found at his father's office. What he didn't know, however, was the reason behind Uchiha Itachi wanting to talk to him. Whenever his father summoned him is was through another Anbu member. Still, there was no reason to be suspicious of Itachi's behavior. The blond jounin actually respected the Uchiha genius, based on what he heard from Neji and a few other jounins. Itachi was perhaps the strongest Anbu captain, even stronger than the Anbu commander.

"Greetings, Itachi-san…sorry Weasel. Is my father looking for me?"

"No, Hokage-sama didn't send me here. I just wanted a few minutes of your time, if I may?"Now, Naruto was suspicious. He just couldn't imagine a situation where someone like Itachi would need him.

"Well, ask away, what can I do for you?" Itachi nodded briefly, before he explained everything in details for Naruto.

Needless to say that by the end of the explanation, heavy silence soon followed. After two minutes of silence, Naruto started talking in a similar reaction to his father.

"So let me get this straight. You want to fight me, because in your mind, I have the perfect skills for you to test your abilities against?" Naruto didn't know how to feel about this. A strong shinobi such as Uchiha Itachi was praising him as a worthy opponent. On the other hand, this same shinobi was asking to fight the blond jounin. It wasn't a mere spar, but a full out battle, with no concern for each other's life. And by the serious look on Itachi's face, Naruto could see that the man wanted nothing more than to test his skills against someone worthy. Naruto could see determination in Itachi's eyes. A quality he never thought he would see in an Uchiha.

"I can feel a self-underestimating tone from you Naruto-kun and it isn't befitting. I've observed your growth since you became an academy student and I can very well attest your skills as similar to my own."

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and released a sigh afterwards. When he opened it, the man was smiling at Itachi.

"Ok then Itachi-san, if you believe me worthy of fighting you, then I accept your challenge. Just tell me where and when and I'll be there." Itachi smiled at the answer and placed his mask back.

"You'll know soon enough Naruto-kun. I'll go give your answer to Hokage-sama." Without even waiting to hear Naruto's question, Itachi vanished in a shunshin. Naruto wasn't aware that his father knew of Itachi's challenge. It made sense, though, because Itachi is an Anbu and those guys had a whole different code of ethics and loyalty to the Hokage. Itachi wouldn't do anything unless the Hokage approved. Also, Naruto knew that his father wouldn't be one hundred percent sure about this. Perhaps, the man could answer some of his questions at dinner tonight.

* * *

**===At Earth Country===**

It was already night time, as four Konoha jounins were running through the rocky terrain of Earth Country. Their mission was the same as Naruto's, but stationed in Iwagakure instead. What the team found was catastrophic. In no more than three days' time, the Tsushikage was scheduled to send an entire platoon to Kumogakure and give a scroll, containing every piece of information regarding Konoha's strengths and weaknesses. Because of the failed attempt at invading Konoha, Iwagakure suffered a great load of repercussions, which further deteriorated the village's reputation as well as the country in which Iwagakure was located. Onooki was pissed and demanded more vengeance against the Leaf.

The man didn't even care that he was blaming his own inabilities on Minato and his son Naruto.

Unfortunately, for him, Iwagakure didn't have the strength needed to attack once more, hence why the sudden interest displayed by Kumogakure came as a blessing to Onoki. Kumogakure's military power was feared by even Konoha. Not to mention the fact that the Raikage possessed two jinchuurikis at his disposal. Onoki had two as well, but both of them were out of his control so to speak, making them unreliable in combat. Onoki had one problem to solve, though, because Konoha was made aware of his plans and sent a team to investigate. He needed to take care of them, before they could communicate his plans to the damn Hokage. That being said, he sent close to ten chunnins and jounins to intercept the team from Konoha. Onoki gave one simple order...kill every single one of the intruders.

He had authorization this time, seeing as the Konoha shinobis were caught trespassing.

The enemy ninjas easily tracked Konoha's trace and followed them, with kunais and shurikens. The four ninjas were bombarded with projectiles. Each one of them was filled with deadly weapons stuck on their bodies. They were running, using just their will to inform the Hokage, before it was too late. All four of them already knew that their lives were over tonight. They'd lost a lot of blood and none of the four had enough chakra to withstand the pain and cross the border with Fire Country. The team leader ushered his team to stop and gather for one last order. His name was Nara Hanzatsu.

"We can't go on like this…one of us has to proceed and warn Hokage-sama of Iwa's intentions."

The other three were all tired and were suffering from multiple injuries. However, all three of them knew the reason behind their leader's intentions. They all represented the prime of their respective clans. The team had a Nara, an Aburame, a Hyuuga and an Akimichi. They all knew that only one of them would be left alive to carry the mission, but none of them wished to be that person. None of them wanted to leave their leader behind for this. Unfortunately, the mission was of higher priority and, thus, they needed to let go of their pride and choose the one that would carry out the mission, while the rest remained and engaged the enemy.

"Ko, you're the fastest of us and your Byakugan will assist you in your travel." Hyuuga Ko was highly considered inside his clan, even though he is from the branch side of the family.

"Nara-taichou, you can't be serious…I wish to fight alongside you." The leader snarled at the man, probably because he knew those words to be the truth. It didn't matter, though.

"I know you want to Ko, but Konoha needs to know about Iwa's intentions. If we stay, we'll die and Kumo will invade Konoha. I leave this message to you. May the will of fire assist you upon your journey." Hanzatsu forced the message scroll into Ko's hands and pushed him away from the group. The Hyuuga had tears in his eyes, from what he had to do, but he left nevertheless. The entire village was counting on him to deliver the message. The rest of the team smiled upon seeing that Ko was already gone and looked at each other. They would be revered as heroes of Konohagakure. As they got up, the enemies appeared right in front of the group.

"It was an honor fighting alongside each and every one of you my friends. Let's show them just why Konoha is feared" Hanzatsu said, receiving nods of approval from his team.

* * *

**===In Konoha===**

Two days later, Naruto and Itachi stood face to face as their fight was about to begin. The place chosen by Minato was an empty training ground near the Forest of Death, registered as number 43. The audience was composed by the Hokage, Kushina, Misao, Yuugao and surprisingly so, Itachi's mother Mikoto. Several Anbus were present as well, to intervene just in case. No one in the audience was satisfied with the fight that was about to go on. Well, Misao wouldn't know, because in her right mind, her brother was the strongest ever. No one dared to ask her if Naruto was stronger than Minato.

Yuugao and Kushina tried several times to call off the fight, but none of their attempts convinced Naruto against fighting Itachi.

According to him, Itachi needed this, so he would give it to the Uchiha. Yuugao knew Itachi's reputation inside the Anbu corps, as she happened to be an Anbu captain as well. She knew that Itachi had never lost a fight, since he joined the organization. She knew that Naruto was strong, even stronger now upon mixing his blood with the wolf summons clan's blood. However, Itachi's Mangenkyou Sharingan was unbeatable as far as she was concerned. Mikoto, for her part, looked at her son with a big question mark. Ever since the incident with Fugaku, her family grew distant. She tried, on occasion, to bring Sasuke and Itachi together, but to no avail. Now, she heard that Itachi had challenged the Hokage's son for a fight. It was the first time she saw some light inside his stoic black eyes.

Minato started walking and stopped in the middle of the two.

"I'll be the one dictating this fight. If I see that one isn't fit to continue any longer, I'll step in. I don't care if you two agree to my terms or not." The Hokage looked at the two fighters to see any kind of response. Neither of them even paid attention to the Hokage, as they were now paying solely attention at the opponent. Itachi's red Sharingan eyes were already analyzing Naruto. Naruto, for his part, was focusing on Itachi and only Itachi. To his eyes, there was no audience around, just the enemy. He knew some aspects of the Uchihas and how they fought, but basically, he was applying the knowledge he already had with the Hyuuga. Naruto knew that despite the obvious difference between the doujutsus as the Sharingan could copy any ninjutsu and genjutsu, as well as the ability to predict the enemy's movement. He understood that the Sharingan was perhaps unbeatable, but Naruto was aware of the fact that he needed a partner so to speak to aid him. Fighting alone against the Sharingan was next to impossible, but Naruto had some tricks to use in that regard. It's not a technique he used a lot these days, but it may be his best chance of beating Itachi.

Without waiting for the authorization to begin, Itachi charged against Naruto in straight taijutsu. Naruto was momentarily surprised at the initiative, but blocked the incoming strike that was aimed at his chest. Itachi used his superiority in speed and already aimed a powerful punch at Naruto's face. The blond moved his free arm to block, but he could see that the Uchiha changed his course at the last minute. Naruto managed to block the punch by bending his arm slightly, while at the same time attacking Itachi with his right foot. Itachi managed to block without much trouble and performed some back flips, while positioning a set of shurikens in each hand, faster than the naked eye could follow. As soon as he landed on the ground, the projectiles were already on his way towards the Namikaze jounin. Naruto grabbed one of his trench knives quickly and managed to slice through them, coursing wind chakra through the weapon. Itachi, taking advantage of the element advantage, performed some hand seals, before placing his right hand in front of his mouth.

_**Katon Housenka no Jutsu (**__Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)_

One of the fireballs hit Naruto dead on, but he was already prepared to use a replacement technique with the log nearby Itachi's position. However, due to Itachi's Sharingan, he already predicted Naruto's movement and was waiting for him with a kunai on his hand. Quickly channeling wind chakra to the knife, Naruto managed to overcome Itachi's kunai and threatened to land another attack on Itachi's body, which would slice him in half. As soon as he did, though, Naruto was surprised to see Itachi's body turning into crows. The animals attacked Naruto ferociously, forcing Naruto to place both arms in front of him to block the attack. When he realized the sudden invasion inside his system, Naruto realized that Itachi just cast a genjutsu on him, using barely his eyes to do so. He released the genjutsu and had enough time to block an incoming rain of fire shuriken projectiles, using both trench knives. Seeing as Naruto was too set on the defensive, he decided to switch it to the offensive. Quickly going through hand seals and not at all worried that Itachi would copy his jutsu, Naruto finished the hand seal sequence.

_**Raiton Myakuhou**__ (Lightning Release: Pulse Cannon Jutsu)_

The speed of the lighting technique was too fast for the normal eye to dodge. Only the Sharingan was able to see the ball's trajectory and avoid it. Itachi managed to dodge the ball, as well as the current attached to it, before the technique crashed with the ground. An explosion soon followed and electricity was sparking everywhere. As the Uchiha turned, he could see that Naruto's technique created a death trap for him. One step and his entire body would receive thousands and thousands of volts. When he turned, Itachi saw Naruto charging at him with impressive speeds. Itachi saw that the knives were coated with wind chakra so as to reduce any chance of blocking the attack. Instead, Itachi made a simple kawarimi and went to the other side of the battle field. He was safe from the field of lightening, but he was nowhere near safe from Naruto.

_**Fuuton Daiboufuu **__(Wind Release: Great Storm Technique)_

Itachi's eyes were surprised upon seeing the technique. He could easily tell that Naruto was using two elements almost at the same time, proving the blond's prowess in ninjutsu. The water tempest charged at Itachi with its majestic strength, forcing the Uchiha to lift an earth barrier to stop the technique from advancing. As soon as the wall was dispelled, the opponents looked at each other once more for a brief period of time. Itachi remained his usually stoic demeanor as his eyes were busy studying Naruto's chakra levels. The problem with ninjutsu was that it took too much chakra. A smile appeared on his face as he could see that Naruto's chakra levels were barely winded.

"Indeed, I chose my opponent wisely. You are indeed a prodigy as I am, Naruto. However, this fight is far from over. _**Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu**__ (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)_"

Itachi's grand fireball charged at Naruto faster than Naruto thought possible. Perhaps, the high quantities of oxygen released by the trees nearby increased the technique's power, but Naruto was already going through hand seals as well.

_**Raiton Seiteki no Tate **__(Lightning Release: Static Shield Jutsu)_

Naruto used the amount of lightening energy behind him from his last attack and manipulated it so as to create an impenetrable barrier in front of him. The grand fireball struggled a bit for dominance, but the energy gathered by Naruto simply overpowered Itachi's fire technique. Naruto followed with a couple of shurikens, which after thrown, was transformed into dozens forcing Itachi on the defensive. This move allowed Naruto to decrease the distance between them and engage Itachi using his trench knives. The Uchiha was on the defensive, but he had enough agility to dodge Naruto's deadly attacks. As soon as Naruto saw the Sharingan eyes transforming into a different set, he knew that Itachi was about to use his Mangenkyou techniques. The summoning seal on his arm glowed the same time Itachi used his strongest genjutsu, the Tsukyomi.

Once inside Itachi's genjutsu, the two enemies stared at one another for some time. The Uchiha was rather surprised that a third party was there as well, seeing as he controlled this world. Right in front of him, almost as if staring directly at him, was a human sized wolf with yellow menacing eyes, snarling at him. Itachi attempted to interfere with his created world, but much to his shock, he found out that he couldn't do anything. Something wasn't right. The Tsukyomi was the world's strongest genjutsu. It was up to his knowledge, unbreakable. Not even some powerful genjutsu users out there had managed to do anything about it.

"Please meet Gekkou, Itachi. He is my favorite summon. He happens to be very proficient at the art of illusions, with the ability of even using an opponent's technique against himself. "

"Not once did I see you summon anything, how did you do it?" The fact that Naruto knew that much about him couldn't be true. Even the Hokage wasn't privy to the knowledge of his Mangenkyou.

"Genjutsu is one thing I suck at, no matter how many times I attempted to rectify. So, with the help of my father, I developed a seal that would activate once someone invades my chakra system and I can't break it. Your technique is by far the strongest genjutsu ever known to man, so Gekkou came here immediately. The seal acts as a beacon for my friend here to come and assist me against the enemy. You're now under his control, Itachi." Quickly dismissing the control over the Tsukyomi, the combatants returned to the real world, before Itachi attacked Naruto once more, still with the Mangenkyou active. His speed more than doubled, because of the eyes and Naruto couldn't follow, which resulted in him receiving a strong kick on his stomach. The Namikaze jounin was sent flying with his hands holding his stomach, while wondering what the hell happened with Itachi's speed.

As soon as got up from the ground, Naruto's eyes were focused on Itachi. The man was a great distance away from him. It took only a blink and Itachi was already in front of him. It was pure reflex that allowed Naruto to parry Itachi's kunai from slitting his throat. While the two battled forces in the middle, Naruto used his free hand and charged a Rasengan. As soon as he finished the technique, Itachi managed to stop it, by holding Naruto's wrist. The blond was prepared for it this time and used his head against the Uchiha. This happened to be one move Itachi haven't accounted for, hence why he received the blunt end of the forehead protector. Naruto took the opportunity that Itachi was dizzy and prepared a long series of hand seals for a technique he haven't used for a long time. Actually It was due to his father's advice that he let go of it. However, while the advice was focused on using the technique on Naruto's own body, the same didn't apply to the enemy's.

_**Fuin Genshuku Gokuin**__ (Sealing Technique: Gravity Seal)_

A seal started glowing on Naruto's palm before he quickly slammed on Itachi's chest. The seal acted instantly, holding Itachi in place, no matter how much he tried to move. Seeing as Itachi was done for the count now, Naruto managed to relax. Itachi was far superior in every sense of the word. The man's agility was simply off the charts, though Naruto suspected that the Mangenkyou Sharingan had this effect. If the fully evolved Sharingan can anticipate the enemy's movements, then the Mangenkyou perhaps meant one step ahead and actually move before the enemy is made aware. The sudden clapping noise came from behind Itachi as the Hokage approached the two. This fight started rather violently for his taste and only got worse from that. When Itachi activated the final version of the Mangenkyou, Minato believed that Itachi would attempt the Ametarasu, hence why his hands were already itching for his kunai, just in case Naruto pushed the Uchiha that much. It was a blessing that Naruto opted to use the gravity seal to hold Itachi, as it alone could be considered a win. Itachi wouldn't be able to move, thus Naruto would be able to deliver the killing blow.

Quickly, Minato used his prowess with seals and deactivated the gravity seal. The only reason Itachi didn't fall once the technique was active, was because his strength was solely devoted to remain standing up.

Itachi, then, looked at Naruto who was now offering his hand in a friendly salute.

"You're much more powerful than I am Itachi. I have no doubts about that…" Itachi looked at Naruto's hand for a while as he recalled the fight and what happened throughout the match.

"Your humility isn't necessary Naruto-kun. On a quite a few occasions, you managed to push me to my limits and beyond. It has been quite some time since anyone has done that for me. I appreciate it." Minato smiled at the conversation. He knew both to be quite strong, but Naruto surprised his old man a lot. Itachi was considered the elite of the elite, just like his pupil Kakashi. For Naruto to force Itachi this much at only his age was nothing short of amazing. He would only grow stronger in time. Minato reasoned that it was time for Naruto to receive his heirloom.

Minato was about to turn and leave to his office when a bloody Hyuuga appeared out of nowhere. Minato remembered this man as being a part of the team that was sent to Iwagakure.

The Anbu medic that was nearby already began the Hyuuga's healing, when the man extended a scroll for the Hokage.

"Ho..Kage-sama, this is f..or you. It's…really…important." Minato grabbed the scroll that was filled with blood and opened it to read it. His arms began to tremble in sudden fury at Onooki's actions.

"I presume that since you came alone, then…."

"My team is de…ad Hokage-sama. Hanzatsu-taichou ordered me to leave them behind and deliver this message to you." Minato nodded and then, turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, I'm handling an S-ranked mission to you as of immediately. Assemble a team of four and march towards the border between Earth Country and Lightning Country, immediately. Onooki, in two days, will send a platoon towards Kumogakure. Their mission is to deliver a scroll detailing everything about us, our strengths and weakness. Take whoever you wish, Anbu, jounin, your pick my son. This mission is possibly the most important of your live so far. You have to retrieve the scroll before the platoon from Iwa reaches the border. In case you can't, your orders are to cease the attack and return here. If Kumo joins the battle, there is no way your team will be able to handle. Now, who will you need?"

Naruto was in full operation mode and didn't need much thinking.

"Certainly Hokage-sama, Uchiha Itachi, Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai and Hyuuga Neji are my choices. We'll leave in thirty minutes…"

* * *

**Author Note**

Oh man, yet another war!

Doesn't Konoha suffered enough already? Guess not! Stick with me as we move on to another war, this time, against Kumogakure.

This will be the final arc of this story, so bear with me here.

Please review, I'm interested in ideas for the war between villages. Let it be known that this time it won't be an invasion, but a full out war between villages.

See ya.


	30. War preparations

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to the second chapter out of a series of five chapters needed to end the Full Moon.

I know that normally it would be Cursed Eyes' turn, but like I said before, by the end of the year, I need to finish both Full Moon and Hunter-nin, so it's imperative to focus on these two until the end of the year. The other five will continue after I finish these two, so stick with me until I finish them. Recently, I've checked the date of the first chapter of the stories and I was surprised that some of them started in 2009. It has been two years already and I have yet to establish how long I want them to continue.

So I've decided that, after finishing Full Moon and Hunter-nin, I'll choose two more and finish them. It will be like this until the last one.

Now, let's proceed with chapter 30.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 30 – War preparations**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

The mission squad was formed in less than ten minutes since the situation called for it.

Once everyone was outside the gates, Naruto quickly explained their assignment and devised a strategy needed for them to reach the location before Iwa. Due to the situation, full speed would be required, which meant that a lot of chakra would be used just for the trip alone. Therefore, all of the ninjas carried storage of soldier pills inside their kunai holsters. Naruto and Kakashi will be at the front; Gai and Itachi will be in the middle with Neji at the back because of his Byakugan. Naruto and Kakashi had some skills in tracking the enemy using their sense of smell hence their position. Itachi and Gai would be the ones to protect them or at least warn then of an enemy's attack.

Meanwhile Minato, in Konoha, called in every clan in Konoha so that he could communicate what happened and will happen in the future.

He needed to devise a battle plan, by gathering all available information they had regarding Kumogakure. That included their ninjas, weapon supplies, and most importantly, the jinchuurikis' powers. Minato wouldn't be a good leader if he didn't take into consideration the possibility of at least one jinchuuriki beinb used for the confrontration. Minato remembered meeting the Hachibi Jinchuuriki once a long time ago and he also became aware that by order of the Raikage, Killer Bee was prohibited from leaving Kumo. By all means, Minato would discard this information, since it would be a great battle advantage to have. Perhaps it would be prudent to join the battle himself. No doubt, the Raikage would attend as well. He marched inside his office and everyone who knew Minato, was aware that something bad happened.

It was perhaps the first time that he was seen with a pissed expression on his face.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

The trip, so far, didn't present any danger for the Konoha team as they were just passing through the many trees and wild vegetation that filled Fire Country.

So far, they managed to cover almost half of the distance, but everyone knew that if they intended to stop the information transfer, a major increase in speed was needed. And that necessarily meant using more chakra to augment their legs and muscles. Luckily, they were all considered jounin level shinobi, otherwise none of them would be able to remain standing after such a stunt. Both Kakashi and Itachi were actually used to this, because this happened to be standard Anbu level mission. The rest wasn't that prepared, but Gai and Naruto were accustomed to wearing weights, so they weren't so tired because of the speed. Neji had a great understanding of chakra usage, seeing as he belonged to the Hyuuga Clan.

Naruto needed to call in a rest of ten minutes, just so that they could relax the muscles and chakra coils.

While resting, the blond jounin went over the details with his team.

"From the scroll handed by the Hokage, Iwagakure sent close to thirty ninjas towards Kumogakure in order to deliver the information they have on our attack and defensive systems. Right now, our rate is at least six to one, which would be considered near suicidal if half of the enemies weren't chunnins but jounins. Not to mention that Kumogakure might send a small team to meet with Iwa at the rendezvous point, so there is a possibility that the numbers will increase. I believe I managed to gather the strongest of us for this mission and I firmly believe that we can win this fight. However, we will have to fight together to win this. We'll be forming groups of three in order to scatter the enemy. They will use numbers against us, so we'll separate them."

Naruto's team looked at one another in doubt regarding what Naruto said about separating in two groups of three. There are only five of them, not six.

"Naruto, not that I don't agree with your plan, but I believe you're counting one man short. We are in five, not six."

It was Kakashi who asked, before he saw the blond smirking.

"Our sixth member will be summoned in the midst of battle." Kakashi smirked as well and nodded, before Naruto reassumed his strategy. "I have a great load of experience in fighting them and I know all of you have too, perhaps even more. They fight in numbers and rarely fight long range. Therefore, we'll place a long range together with a close range. The teams will be as follows. Kakashi, Gai and Itachi will be team one. Neji, I and my summon will be team two. If any of you believe that the teams should be reformed, please say so. Let's proceed. We'll have one last stop before we reach the place where the information will be transferred. Let's go." The team nodded and vanished once more towards the trees. None of them really were against Naruto's idea for the teams as Gai really wanted to team up with Kakashi so that he could compete with the man. Neji knew Naruto's moves and Naruto knew Neji's.

Itachi would work in both teams as he had genjutsu as his ultimate weapon.

* * *

**===At Konoha===**

After calling a clan meeting, Minato immediately went to the meeting hall as he patiently awaited everyone's arrival.

The last couple of months had been brutal for him and for Konoha. First it was the coordinated invasion of no less than three hidden villages which, thanks to the Konoha's ninjas and their will to protect their home, ended in failure. Even if Konoha paid dearly for it, it emerged victorious in the end. Lots of buildings were destroyed and most importantly, the lives of his shinobi. Minato, at the time, felt the loss of each and every one of them. Now, he was facing yet another crisis, only this time it was Kumogakure. The fact that he had sent his eldest son to a almost suicide mission didn't help ease his heart at all.

He knew that Naruto was capable and he knew that those who accompanied him were just as capable.

However, Minato couldn't help but worry that perhaps sending a contingent of five shinobi against thirty Iwa shinobi wasn't enough and that his son would pay the price for his bad calling. The Yondaime always wondered how the Sandaime Hokage managed to lead Konoha through two major shinobi wars, but right now he was beginning to realize that he was following his predecessor in every step. Kumogakure would be Konoha's second test of strength in less than three months. Even the great shinobi wars had some time in between. Closing his eyes and taking long breaths, Minato was making arrangements to calm himself as much as humanly possible. In his opinion, a strong village is only measured by the will of those who protect it. If he appeared weak all of a sudden, then Konoha's ninjas would lose the confidence that was required to block Kumogakure's cowardly attempt of conquering Konohagakure.

Slowly opening his eyes, Minato managed to gather a new resolve. If a leader is in doubt, than he shouldn't lead. If a leader is weak, then he should step aside and let a more suitable one take his mantle. If a leader doesn't care about the ones he lead, then he might as well abandon his career as shinobi of the Leaf. Confidence, strength and will to protect others were the principles that every Hokage should base his actions on, he surmised.

When the clan heads entered the room, they saw the man they called their leader already at his designated seat.

Minato's eyes showed focus and determination and there wasn't a single doubt in his resolve.

"Welcome every one; please take our seats so that we can begin." The clan heads nodded as each took their respective seats. Everyone was already briefed that this meeting was due to a major crisis happening, though no one actually knew what the crisis was about. Even Shimura Danzou was at a loss, regarding the matter at hand despite the fact that he had a hidden organization that dealt with threats like the one Konoha will be facing right now. The man became increasingly frustrated since Minato opted to use one of his seals to protect sensitive information from within his office. This way, the mole that Danzou infiltrated inside the Administration Building simply couldn't recover the contents of secret documents and Danzou wasn't much interested in knowing the contents of routine missions that Konoha was hired to perform.

Minato look everyone in the room for a good two minutes, after everyone was comfortable in their respective chairs.

He got up and started to report everything that happened so far.

"First of all, I appreciate that all of you managed to attend so quickly to my calling. I understand that none of you are aware of the events that happened in Iwagakure, so I'll explain from the beginning. As you all know, after Jiraiya-sensei's Intel regarding the possibility of another hidden village taking advantage of our weakened state, I've sent different teams to Kirigakure, Kumogakure and Iwagakure, so that they could unravel which village had the intent on conquering Konoha." That information was nothing new as they all knew. Minato just stopped for a bit, before continuing. "Kirigakure and Kumogakure were apparently clean as the teams didn't report any arrangements towards an invasion. However, the team sent to Iwagakure managed to discover that Onoki, the Sandaime Tsushikage, was scheduled to deliver a scroll to Kumogakure, containing all our strengths and weaknesses."

Minato knew that the minute he finished speaking, the entire room would scream in anger, demanding Iwa's head for this.

True to his word, everyone expressed their protests. However, they stopped after Minato screamed for everyone to be silent, while releasing a killing intent.

"By no means, will Iwa's actions remain unpunished, I've already alerted the Fire Daimyou of this and he'll make sure to take every last cent from the Earth Daimyo because of this transgression." To this, everyone was more at ease. Stripping a village clean of funds was more deadly than going there and destroying everything. Not to mention that Konoha wouldn't need to lift a finger or even lose men for this. "Now, the team sent to Iwagakure managed to inform me that Iwagakure plans to deliver the scroll in a few days' time. Right now, our main concern is to capture the scroll and destroy it, so that Kumogakure doesn't know about our details and thus decide not to strike. At this precise moment, a team composed of Namikaze Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Hyuuga Neji, Maito Gai and Uchiha Itachi is travelling towards the transfer point in order to destroy the scroll before it reaches Kumo's hands. I know that destroying the scroll probably won't persuade Kumo from attacking, but at least it will give us an advantage."

"Hokage-sama, what do we intend to do regarding Kumogakure? Could we persuade the Daimyo to speak with the Lightning Daimyo about this?" Uchiha Mikoto was the one who introduced the idea. Minato nodded at the idea, but he couldn't do it.

"A valid thought Mikoto-san, but we don't have any valid proof that Kumogakure is directly involved in this. The only reason we could use the Daimyo at all was because of Iwa's repeated actions against us."

"Not to mention that the Fire Daimyou has good relationship with his Lightning counterpart. Even if we had enough evidence, Fire Country wouldn't cut its trading routes with Lightning. This is a ninja manner entirely." The political view came from Hiruzen Sarutobi, since he actually accompanied the negotiations between Fire and Lightning Country once. After that, he turned to Minato. "What we must ascertain, first of all, is our defense measurements. We must gather as much weaponry as possible and increase our patrols around the village." Minato nodded, since that was standard protocol in case of imminent threats to the village's welfare.

Danzou took the opportunity to bring back Naruto's mission for discussion.

"Excuse me Yondaime-sama, but from what I understand, you just said that your son was appointed leader of the mission to recover the scroll from Iwa." The fact that no one even bothered in that regard and focused more on their retaliation against Kumogakure showed Minato that the old war hawk was hoping to discredit Naruto's worth as a leader of such a sensitive mission. Danzou's commentary ended up silencing the crowd and everyone looked at Minato, waiting for an answer. Hiruzen looked warily at Danzou and wondered why the man was focused on this right now. Surely, he wouldn't gain anything from appointing eventual flaws in Naruto's skills as a jounin or leader in missions of high importance.

"Yes I did Danzou. Any reason you might consider this more important than our village's response to this threat? Those five are considered our elite."

Danzou smiled at the answer.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Hatake-san, Itachi-san, Gai-san and even Neji-san are considered elites of the village. What I'm asking is why you believe your son was ready to lead these men? I would choose a much more experienced leader, perhaps Kakashi or Itachi to lead them. Why Naruto-san if I may ask?" Danzou took Minato's silence as an opportunity to further discredit their leader's choices. "Recovering that scroll is, as you said, very important to our cause and you choose a recently promoted jounin to lead three experienced ones. Any lack of judgment will certainly jeopardize the mission and Kumogakure will receive the scroll with every data about Konohagakure." The clan heads looked at Minato worriedly. In political terms, Danzou's movement constituted a ploy to decrease their leader's credibility and the fact that Minato wasn't responding, sent them a clear message that something was wrong with the blond Hokage.

A smile suddenly appeared and Minato lifted his head looking at Danzou directly.

"You say that Itachi-san would be a better ninja for leadership in this mission, Danzou. However, moments before the mission started, Uchiha Itachi asked to fight my son head to head. Itachi, the Anbu captain and one of Konoha's best, was defeated by my son, the recently promoted jounin as you politely addressed. He won the match by using one of the most complex arts out there, one that I happen to specialize in, fuuinjutsu." Hiruzen smiled at that and wondered how much stronger Naruto will be in a couple of years. The Hyuuga clan head Hiashi smiled as well, seeing as he remembered the boy from the chunnin exams and how he defeated Neji in order to win the tournament. Uchiha Mikoto also smirked, because she actually saw the fight. And while she would have never cheered against her own son, she knew that Naruto somehow had a positive influence in her stoic eldest son. Minato at last finished his explanation.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Naruto's mission will be completed."

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Unaware of the vote of confidence, the team was running towards the rendezvous point with all the chakra they could muster.

They stopped for the last time and this was the last part of the trip.

According to the information, the Iwa platoon would pass through the location within three hours from now. Naruto's team would have to speed things up if they wanted to stop their movement. There wouldn't be any time to set up traps, so they would have to attack the enemy head on or at least with advanced level of ninja strategy. Luckily, no one needed a soldier pill yet, which worked in their advantage for two reasons. One they would have more to spare afterwards. Second, a soldier pill may supply them with chakra but at a high cost of overloading the chakra tenketsus. It was only used during war times or in Anbu level missions for precisely the second reason.

"Neji, can you expand your Byakugan and see the Iwa platoon?" Naruto turned to address his friend and comrade.

The Hyuuga nodded and used his powerful eyes in order to scout ahead of them. No luck for now.

"We are too far behind Naruto. I can't see them. Perhaps in a few minutes, they will enter in my vision." Naruto nodded and looked forward. While travelling, he began to calculate possible scenarios in his head. There are six of them against thirty Iwa shinobi. If Kumogakure sent a team to meet the enemy, they would have to be accounted for as well. Utilizing regular data, Naruto's team had the advantage in terms of skills. The major elements utilized by Iwa and Kumo were earth and lightning. His team have wind, lightning, fire, earth and water to use at their disposal. Kakashi had a strong jutsu for each element and Naruto possessed extensive knowledge in wind and lightning jutsus. Gai and Neji are experienced taijutsu users and Itachi was the one who would turn the table for Konoha. Fighting against him ended up showing Naruto what the Uchiha could do in a fight. Not only his fire jutsus, but his genjutsu knowledge were deadly skills against Iwagakure.

Naruto also wasn't taking into account Itachi's Mangenkyou techniques.

Itachi would be the key to Konoha's victory, Naruto reasoned. He could assist anyone in a fight while casting a genjutsu at a different enemy at the same time. That's how stronger the Uchiha was compared to him. Naruto was baffled by the amazing uniqueness of the illusions. Despite having a large quantity of chakra and extensive knowledge of ninjutsu and fuuinjutsu, Naruto just didn't have the skill necessary to cast and maintain an illusion like Itachi. Like Naruto, Iwa shinobi were considered warriors at nature. They lacked the subtle finesse of illusions and how in some cases illusions could deliver more damage than even the most powerful ninjutsus out there.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with his only visible eye and remembered a blond brat punching a log until exhaustion.

Since a young age, Naruto trained hard and now here he was leading men twice his age with twice the experience. In fact, only himself and Itachi ever managed to reach this level, even if they were a bit younger than Naruto. In war times, though, it was necessary to increase the level. Naruto wasn't born in the midst of war and he wasn't pushed like Kakashi and Itachi was. He did everything on his own. And Kakashi couldn't be more proud of the boy for it. He remembered teaching Naruto how to use lightning jutsus at the academy and he remembered how hard the blond pushed himself back then.

Perhaps it was time for Kakashi to hand the mantle to the new generation.

* * *

**===Unknown Location===**

So far, the track towards Kumogakure was free from enemies thought the leader of the squad. Kurotsuchi was in charge of delivering the scroll containing sensitive Intel acquired detailing Konoha's defensive capabilities to a team that would meet her squad at the border of Lightning Country. Short dark hair and a face similar to one Mitarashi Anko from Konohagakure, Kurotsuchi was actually the Sandaime Tsushikage's granddaughter and a jounin from Iwagakure. The woman remembered how much she cursed at her grandfather for not allowing her to invade Konoha at the time and that she received this mission only after further bugging the old man. For some reason, Onooki was reluctant in sending her, even if he didn't have doubts about his granddaughter's strength.

Obviously there was the possibility that she ended up facing either Kiroi Senko or Kazeryuu in battle, two of Iwa's most hated enemies.

The woman was livid when she heard the details of the invasion by one of her classmates, who happened to be a part of the surviving group. She heard that a jounin from Suna named Baki had gathered a great number of shinobis to corner the Kazeryuu. However, what started out as an ambush against the Hokage's son, ended up being the complete opposite. Kazeryuu managed to take care of at least eight percent of them, before reinforcements arrived and dealt with the rest. Her blood boiled every time she heard of the name. Shinobi Code Book rule number 25 explained that emotions in the battlefield represented a ninja's weakness, but the woman knew better than letting a stupid rule like that overcome her need for vengeance. Probably, half of her loved ones were killed by Kazeryuu. All of a sudden, Kurotsuchi snarled in fury at the Namikaze. She silently swore to take care of him once they engaged in combat.

So clouded by anger was Kurotsuchi that she never even considered that perhaps these deaths occurred due to actions taken by Iwagakure against Konohagakure.

Even if she did consider, Kurotsuchi simply focused the same level of hatred against the Yondaime Hokage. While Minato actually attacked Iwagakure at the time of the Second Ninja War, Naruto, the man's son, only defended himself. In the minds of every Iwagakure ninja, though, the consequence ended up being the same. The only man who managed to distinguish between the Namikazes was the Sandaime Tsushikage, but in maintaining his ninja's drive to kill Kazeryuu and actually killing him in the process, Onooki could actually deliver a more suitable revenge to his people than killing Minato ever could. Now, he would entrust this mission, through his granddaughter, to Kumogakure and hope that Konoha is dealt with once and for all, hence why he supplied all available information about them.

Kurotsuchi, looking briefly at the army given by her grandfather, smirked knowing how serious the man was about the success of this mission. She knew few of them, but two or three were stronger than even her. The woman knew that Konoha would send someone to stop them, because of the man who managed to escape three days ago. No doubt, he managed to communicate what happened to the Yondaime. Minato would no doubt send a group to stop the transfer from happening. However, he would have to assemble a team right away for the mission and that alone took time. He couldn't just send anyone from fear of risking their lives needlessly. Anbu level teams weren't an option either, because their assignment involves the protection of the village and the Hokage must abide by some bureaucratic steps to assign Anbu outside missions. That leaves almost five thousand ninjas for the Hokage to choose from, which ends up taking a bit of time to select the suitable team to stop her army from completing the mission.

The girl was clearly underestimating the Yondaime's act of leadership and that he wouldn't select his best to stop her.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

A few miles after crossing the border, Neji activated his byakugan and was surprised at the image relayed.

"Naruto, thirty Iwa shinobi are approaching the rendezvous point from the east. Judging by their speed, we'll manage to arrive before them." Naruto nodded at the news and asked if he could see any Kumo agents. Neji turned his head briefly to the other side and spotted three kumo shinobis coming from the west. "A team of three Kumo shinobis are approaching from the west. They will arrive before us." Naruto nodded one more time, before he addressed his team.

"Ok, normally we would slow down so we don't attract attention, but right now time is working against us. We need to arrive before the Iwa team. Kumogakure won't risk direct retaliation, because they will be aiming for the scroll. Also, in attacking us right now, they would risk an open war before the right time. If they choose to retaliate, it will be bad news for us. Like Neji said, thirty iwa shinobi are approaching the location. If Kumo joins the battle, then we'll be greatly outnumbered." The team nodded, though everyone was aware that the odds of them not being attacked by Kumogakure were next to none. If the scroll is what they want, then they'll fight.

"Naruto, we need a plan B in case Kumo decides to join the battle. I believe that Itachi here is the most suited to fight them as he fought a lot of them in the past."

Kakashi said, earning a nod from Itachi and Naruto.

"Ok then Itachi, you'll be dealing with Kumo in case they decide to retaliate. Now, let's go. We are almost there." Naruto, seeing that it was time to call in the sixth member of the team, performed some hand seals, before biting his thumb for the blood. As soon as he landed on a thick tree, he smashed both hands on it, before the black kanjis appeared, surrounding both hands. Instead of white smoke, though, like everyone was expecting, the smoke was black. Aside from Naruto, everyone was surprised when a horse sized black wolf appeared by his side. It had black fur and blood red eyes that could send shivers to anyone's spine. Its three tails were fluctuating uncoordinated, as if each one had a mind of its own.

"Everyone this is Kaen (blaze). His experience relies in heavy usage of fire based techniques as the name implies. I imagine that you're all aware of what I'm planning right now." The smirk on his face was evidence enough as everyone pictured the mixture between Kaen's fire attacks and Naruto's wind ones. It was quite an advantage seeing as the enemy outnumbered those six to one. With wide range attacks, they could reduce the odds. "Neji, what can you tell us about the enemy?" It would be counterproductive at this time to engage against the enemy outnumbered and without any knowledge of their skill or chakra capacity.

And Neji's eyes were a great source of information as far as chakra was concerned.

"Five of them possesses high chakra capacity, even for Iwa shinobi standards. The rest of them are just regular chunnins. There is one, though, with a different type of chakra." After being asked to elaborate, Neji replied. "Normally, even if a shinobi possesses two affinities, I can see which one stands out the most. This one in particular I can't choose from. Both fire and earth affinities are equally strong, perhaps revealing a kekkai genkai."

"Youton…" Itachi surmised, gathering everyone's attention as he turned to Neji. "Your Byakugan must be an evolved version, because I've never seen any Hyuuga able to determine affinities. Lava release is not a common trait to Iwagakure, though, as the clan was dissolved prior to the formation of hidden villages. I even know of a few shinobis in Kumogakure with the ability of using Youton jutsus. This person is perhaps our strongest opponent to face, because only a high affinity for water jutsus can overcome this foe. From the five of us, only you Naruto have an affinity for water, even if it's your weakest nature. Kakashi and I managed to copy one or two with the Sharingan, but our proficiency in water manipulation is rather limited." Naruto wasn't sure if he even had the affinity for water jutsus, but the fact remained that Itachi was fire in nature and Kakashi was lightning. The Sharingan was able to copy the jutsu, but it couldn't copy the level of manipulation required for the jutsu to be one hundred percent effective.

Naruto was amused at one thing, though.

"This shows how eager the Tsushikage is to see us defeated. I don't remember hearing anything about Youton users from Iwagakure at the invasion."

"Perhaps, he gave little thought regarding our chances of stopping three villages at the same time. No one can overcome our youthful fists of fury."

Gai shouted, before giving a Fonzie like thumbs up.

Unsurprisingly so, no one bothered in replying the comment, but Gai wasn't exactly expecting one, given the fact that in about two minutes, all hell would break loose.

Upon sensing the immediate danger, Neji shouted.

"Naruto, a rain of kunais is closing in on us. We must scatter right now!"

"No one moves from your position. I'll handle this!" Naruto replied, grabbing his trench knives and began to spin rapidly while focusing wind chakra. The hurricane started slow, but within two seconds, it expanded greatly, forming an immense defense against the horde of projectiles meant to divide the group. The projectiles, because of the wind generated by Naruto's technique, ended up changing directions and everyone attacked him instead.

_**Fuuton Gufuukiri**__ (Wind Release: Hurricane Cutter Technique_)

The wind chakra around the hurricane managed to deflect all of them, before Naruto stopped the spinning and landed on the ground just as the enemy became visible.

When the Konoha team landed behind him, they already formed two teams of three as each one faced one side.

Naruto immediately spotted the enemy with the Youton affinity based on Neji's description. He scanned their reactions upon seeing him as he was expecting. What surprised him was that only one person was livid and that was the Youton user. The others were just focused, because of Naruto's reputation. No doubt, Naruto ended up killing someone who was close to the woman somehow. It was their fault anyway for trying to destroy his village. Looking back for a bit, he realized that the team from Kumogakure wasn't doing anything as well. They looked shocked at the sudden appearance of Konoha. Also, shocked they were upon seeing just who Konoha had sent. Kakashi, Itachi and Gai were famous enough in their own right and Neji's appearance only made them angry at having to deal with the Byakugan and the Jyuuken.

"Listen here Iwagakure…" Naruto immediately started, trying to show some diplomacy before the actual fight. "You've already done enough against Konoha and I'm sure your Daimyou is already considering stripping you of funds and missions. Any further actions against us will only increase the penalty set forth by the Fire Daimyou. All of the people here are witnesses of your actions and therefore, Iwa won't be able to escape bankruptcy". Naruto knew that wouldn't do any good for the situation, but at least in doing this, he was able to ensure to the Fire Daimyou Konoha's good faith in this manner. Kurotsuchi, of course, was even more livid and by this time, she was biting her lower lip so hard that blood came out.

"We're not interested in what you're saying Kazeryuu. I swore that you'd meet your death by my hands one day and it's today. Kill them!" Naruto immediately got ready for battle with a smirk on his face. With this, he also managed to take Iwa's attention from their mission. There was indeed the possibility of them being killed, but at least it improved their odds of success. Naruto, Neji and Kaen immediately proceeded with the first part of the plan, which was to scatter the Iwa group. They would have to take more enemies, because Itachi would have to engage Kumogakure as well. Kaen's eyes started to glow, before a huge wall of fire appeared in front of the Iwa group. Naruto took his time and charged the great breakthrough technique to increase the flames. The Iwa shinobi were wise not to risk and divided them into groups. They were surprised when a huge **Suiryuudan no Jutsu** (water dragon technique) appeared to their left, courtesy of Kakashi and the **Housenka no jutsu** (mythical flower phoenix technique) from Itachi, forcing them to scatter one more time.

With the groups separated, the battle began.

* * *

**===Naruto's team===**

Naruto, Neji and Kaen stood face to face against twenty Iwa shinobi with Kurotsuchi included. Looking at the focus of her hatred, she started to realize that attacking head on would get her and her entire platoon killed. She clearly underestimated the Yondaime Hokage in this one. How was she to imagine that the man would send perhaps the strongest ninjas his village had to offer, not only Kazeryuu but Sharingan no Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi as well. Not to mention the presence of the horse sized wolf who clearly was powerful if that wall of fire was any indication. Looking at the ones she had at her disposal, she at least relaxed knowing that most of the jounins stood by her side. Looking at Kazeryuu one last time, she signaled for her squad to attack united, before she saw Naruto, Neji and Kaen side by side forming a circle of defense.

She was a mid-range fighter, so she opted to stick behind and wait for an opening as the Iwa shinobi used their swords in an attempt to penetrate the defensive system. Naruto managed to parry the attacks with his trench knives, which were coated with wind chakra while Neji was accurately blocking the attacks holding the enemy's wrists. Kurotsuchi smirked upon seeing that Konoha was having trouble holding her entire squad, which allowed her time to go through some hand seals for her attack. Her comrades, knowing what was to come, jumped out of the way instantly.

_**Youton Yougan Shuriken **__(Lava Release: Lava Shuriken Technique)_

Naruto and Kaen simply stood behind Neji as he used his family Kaiten, blocking the lava projectiles. Kurotsuchi kept at the attack, knowing that she could hold it longer than the Hyuuga. Naruto realized that his comrade was beginning to lose control and threw a horde of shurikens at Kurotsuchi. One of the Iwa chunnins moved to intercept it and he would have, had Naruto not finished his attack by going through a few set of hand seals and multiplied the shurikens. He managed to land a few on the ninja's shoulder and the other went towards Kurotsuchi who had to stop her technique, from fear of receiving a shuriken right in her left eye. Neji stopped spinning and kneeled on the ground a bit, so as to recover from the momentary fatigue. One of the jounins moved in to strike with his kodashi, but Naruto managed to block the man's path with both his trench knives. Looking to the side, he saw five chunnins closing in on him and looked at Kaen for assistance. The wolf quickly nodded and looked at the five chunnins with his eyes glowing. Suddenly, his body started catching on fire and he released a great number of fireballs at the chunnins.

The jounin who was busy with Naruto noticed that his attention wasn't as focused as it should be and focused earth chakra on his limbs. Placing both arms in front of his face to stop the assault, Naruto was sent flying. His experience fighting Iwa shinobi was what prevented him from losing both arms, by coating his limbs with chakra to reduce the impact. Still, it was quite painful. Flipping in mid-air and in the process of hand seals, the jounin was surprised when he saw Naruto holding the bird hand seal. He saw a shift in the air and desperately jumped to the right.

_**Fuuton Daisuu Kaze no Yaiba**_ _(Wind Release: Multiple Wind Swords Technique)_

The jounin cursed as he received multiple cuts from Naruto's attack. He didn't even see when the blond performed hand seals in midair and he was caught by surprise. Kurotsuchi appeared right by his side and attacked Naruto, by performing some hand seals.

_**Youton Youganame **__(Lava Release: Lava Wave Technique)_

She slammed both hands on the ground and focused a great amount of chakra in order to create the wave of lava. Naruto remembered what Neji and Itachi said and quickly created a wall of water in front of him using more chakra than normal, in order to stop the attack. Unfortunately, Kurotsuchi's attack prevailed and he was forced to vanish using a quick karawimi. As soon as he appeared where a log was, he turned and saw two chunnins attempting to strike him from his blind spot. Closing his eyes for a moment as if to wonder why they were screaming bloody murder at him, before performing hand seals.

_**Raiton Raikou Dageki**__ (Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Technique)_

Naruto's both hands were surrounded by electricity as he waited for the right time to strike. He dodged the first one and punched him in the face with lightning chakra. The other met the same fate by at the stomach instead. The result was that earth was weak against lightning. The impact was much more painful than it should have been, not to mention that with this technique, Naruto can inject an electrical current inside their bodies, which ended in some fried organs. These two weren't dead, but it was clear that they would be and soon. Looking to his right, Naruto realized that Neji was suffering against three enemies and Kaen was busy dealing with a couple of jounins. Quickly throwing a lone kunai, Naruto closed his eyes for a moment in extreme focus. What he was about to do wasn't totally unheard of and in theory it should work just like in a regular situation. He just hoped that no one would confuse his attack with another famous one out there. As soon as he opened his eyes, he replaced himself with the Kunai and reached Neji's position faster than by normal means. Kurotsuchi saw the entire thing and widened her eyes in surprise, wondering if that was the famous Hiraishin of the Yondaime.

Still with the lightning strike technique, Naruto managed to land precise strikes on the jounin's back, dealing the same damage to the others. Kurotsuchi took the opportunity and appeared behind Naruto with hand seals.

_**Youton Nenshou Hitoya **__(Lava Release: Burning Prison Technique)_

A large stream of lava suddenly enveloped both Naruto and Neji, surprising them. Kurotsuchi smiled at the fact that she managed to capture both in just one jutsu and no doubt they would burn to death soon and she will have her revenge.

* * *

**===Itachi's team===**

Itachi, Kakashi and Gai were surrounded by ten angry Iwa shinobi and three Kumo shinobis, all of them ready to deliver hell to the three jounins. Quite surely, either one of them had lost a beloved friend or family because of their invasion against Konoha, so it's likely that they were looking for revenge. Not to mention that Kakashi went along with his sensei, the Yondaime Hokage, to the front lines back at the time of the last great ninja war, so it was understandable that he was the most hated amongst the three jounins. Despite that, he sighed and turned to Itachi.

"So what do you propose we should do here?" Itachi just turned his head slightly to see his partner and shrugged his shoulders as if he hasn't exactly thought of a plan or strategy.

"You're expecting something I haven't thought of yet." Gai and Kakashi looked at the Anbu captain and both of them face faulted almost the same time. He wasn't even taking this damn mission seriously. Why would he actually? These guys are more interested in taking Naruto, so the jounins were there and here were only the chunnins. "I believe that considering the circumstances, any plan right now would be irrelevant compared to simply killing them." As soon as Itachi grabbed his sword, his eyes transformed into his Sharingan and charged the closest enemy with a speed that only a seasoned jounin could follow and pierced the sword throw the enemy's stomach. As soon as he pushed the sword away, all of the enemies charged at the same time with the clear intent of causing pain. Kakashi cursed Itachi for moving like that, before doing a couple of hand seals. His speed with hand seals was unraveled, as he finished the needed sequence before the enemy approached their position.

_**Suiton Suijinheki**__ (Water Release: Water Wall Technique)_

The wall of water surrounded the Konoha ninja and obscured the enemy's view. When Gai appeared from within the water geyser, he started to knock the shit out of everyone with plain taijutsu. A few attempted to use swords as an advantage, but the man wasn't called taijutsu genius for nothing and managed to yank the weapon from the enemy's hand through a quick chop on his wrist. Itachi, seeing that the wall of water would soon drop, began his own set of hand seals, in order to surprise the enemy. Quickly throwing the impressive amount of twenty shurikens, he made a single hand seal and set all of the projectiles on fire.

_**Katon Shinku Shuriken**__ (Fire Release: Crimson Shuriken Technique) _

Kakashi opted for a most subtle approach as he grabbed a kunai and battled the three Kumo ninjas by himself, while Itachi and Gai handled the Iwa shinobis.

* * *

**===Back with Naruto's team===**

Naruto used a quick kawarimi and escaped, but Neji wasn't so fast. He would have to resort to his elemental defense. Quickly spinning for the Kaiten, Neji focused earth chakra around him, before he managed to form a cocoon around his spinning chakra technique. He managed to stop the lava's advance long enough for Naruto to land a strong punch on Kurotsuchi's face, before sending a quick stream of water at the lava in order to dissolve it and save his friend. He was able to see Neji spinning right before the lava technique trapped him inside, therefore there was chance that his friend was still alive. He sighed when he saw Neji kneeling on the ground holding his burned arm. At least, he wasn't dead, but right now Naruto had to tend to him. He didn't have time for that, though, when the rest of the enemies managed hand seals for a joint earth attack.

_**Doton Doryuuso**__ (Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears Technique)_

_**Doton Doryuudan**__ (Earth Dragon Projectile Technique)_

Quickly going through a couple of hand seals, Naruto focused a great amount of chakra and ushered the air to spin rapidly around himself and Neji, until it formed a defensive hurricane around them. He managed to stop the technique, but his blind side ended up being unprotected. Also the fact that he was protecting Neji, left himself unprotected from Kurotsuchi's attempts. She moved behind him with a deadly kunai inches from his back. The woman was already feeling the smooth sound of metal piercing flesh when the wolf came and body slammed her. Naruto was surprised when he turned and nodded at Kaen for his assistance. He snarled at the enemy, before focusing a gigantic amount of his chakra. He went through hand seals as the sky slowly went from blue to black in a manner of seconds. He was focusing entirely lightning chakra so as to fill the clouds that started to gather on top of them.

As soon as he saw that his attack was ready, he switched both hands to the last hand seal.

_**Raiton Kusari Raikou **__(Lightning Release: Chain of Lightning Technique)_

The enemies couldn't use doton defensive techniques, because not only would they be wasting chakra, but it wouldn't serve much. The lightning bombarded the field and some of the enemies weren't able to dodge for too long. When the aerial assault ended, Kurotsuchi was snarling at the man, while flanked by a mere ten of her army. For the live of her, she couldn't understand. How could he be so damn strong and unbeatable? She started one more sequence of hand seals, confident that this time, with her strongest jutsu ever, Naruto would perish for good. Kaen that moment decided, though, that he wouldn't let her finish the sequence and appeared right in front of her with his eyes glowing. The woman knew enough of the damn wolf, not to stay there for long and managed to switch strategies, by replacing herself with a mud clone. Two Iwa jounins attempted to strike Kaen, but they were stopped when Naruto appeared with his trench knives and attacked them, creating multiple cuts on their limbs. The amount of blood lost made them weak so Naruto finished with the lightning strike technique, rendering them unconscious, on the bridge between life and death.

Kurotsuchi snarled once more as she was backing away from Naruto and his team, now joined by Itachi's team. Like Naruto instructed, the Kumo shinobis were just rendered unconscious and only the Iwa ninjas were killed. It was likely that Kumo would invade Konoha, but none of them wished for a little incident like killing one of these ninjas, the trigger needed by the Raikage to attack Konoha. The woman knowing that the first mission ended in failure, realized that she would have to use the plan B and hope that they become victorious this time. Performing a quick signal, Kurotsuchi smirked as she saw another squad behind her ready for assistance if needed.

"What's the meaning of this?" Naruto shouted and Kurotsuchi just smiled at him, before jumping towards Kumo's direction.

"I was hoping that we wouldn't have to do this, but my mission is to deliver this scroll to Kumo and since you destroyed their team, I'll go and deliver the scroll myself." She left towards Kumo's direction and Naruto moved to stop her, but stopped once the army attacked all of them, forcing them to be on the defensive once more. The border of Lightning Country was only two hours away from them, so they needed to deal with this army quick or else, Naruto's mission would result in failure.

* * *

**===At Konoha===**

After a couple of hours of discussion, Konoha managed to come up with two major plans and the choice would occur after the news of Naruto's mission to recover the scroll. If Naruto was successful, then there won't be any need to change the village's defensive protocols in the event of a new invasion. However, and Minato wouldn't dare think about it, if Naruto failed to recover the scroll then he would have to change everything one more time. The Yondaime hoped that his son was successful. A lot of lives will be at stake if Kumo sent its massive force against Konoha's walls.

* * *

**Author Note**

What will happen to Naruto and his team? Travelling two days straight and fighting thirty enemies would be enough to empty their chakra reserves. How will they fight forty more enemies?

Also will Kurotsuchi manage to cross the border and deliver the scroll to Kumogakure?

The answers will be given next chapter.

See ya.


	31. A nation's doom

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Full Moon.

This is the third chapter of a series of five needed for the story to end, as our blond hero faces the wrath of a vengeful village with only a few allies by his side. Last chapter, Naruto and his team managed to face off against an entire battalion of Iwa-nins and a team of Kumo-nins. Together, they managed to take care of the enemy as well as the Kumo team, forcing Kurotsuchi, the Sandaime Tsushikage's granddaughter to seek some backup from another battalion that was stationed nearby, while she escaped towards Kumogakure.

The Konoha team tried to stop her, but they were stopped by the second Iwa battalion.

With Kumogakure just two hours away, Naruto's S-ranked mission is seriously due to fail if Kurotsuchi manages to deliver the scroll to Kumo, containing all information concerning Konoha's strength and weaknesses. However, before even thinking of catching up with the woman, the team must face and come out unscathed against yet another Iwa battalion. Yep, things don't look good for Naruto's team and Konohagakure. Kumogakure's military prowess far surpasses Iwa's and the Raikage even have two jinchuurikis at his disposal to use it against the weakened hidden village in the leaves, after the attack of three hidden villages at the same time.

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for Konoha?

Check it out.

* * *

**Chapter 31 – A nation's doom **

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

The entire Iwa battalion looked at the five angry Konoha shinobi in front of them with plain amusement. The Konoha-nins looked tired, beaten and quite surely had a chakra reduced capacity due to the fight against the other battalion. Despite understanding that they practically killed Iwa's comrades, the prospect of killing them right now served as a remarkable compensation for everything they caused to Iwagakure. One among them, though, ignited said feeling the most. Killing Sharingan no Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi actually paled in comparison to killing the Yondaime Hokage's son, Naruto. It appeared, though, that the young Namikaze finally got his wish of stepping out of his father's shadow, seeing as Iwa wanted his head not only because he was Minato's son, but also because of his own reputation in Iwagakure.

Said jounin was looking at the battalion in front of him and couldn't help but wonder why Iwa was so determined in destroying Konoha, despite the numerous penalties received.

At this point, it was clear that the Sandaime Tsushikage didn't care about his village's reputation and possible bankruptcy, if it meant that Konohagakure was destroyed in the process. Despite it all, Naruto had to deal with this new obstacle and quick, because Kurotsuchi approached Kumogakure by the second. If she managed to give the scroll to Kumo, then both his mission and Konohagakure were doomed. Looking around for his comrades, he could see the same worried expression in their faces at the prospect of a failed mission. Immediately doing the calculations, Naruto concluded that he had to split the group. The mission required him to do so.

Even if the prospect of dying here was a possibility, he would at least save his village.

"Everyone listen up…" Naruto said, earning their attention. "As seasoned ninjas, I believe you all know the only possible choice of action to take from now on." They knew indeed. "One or two of us shall remain here and the rest will go after Kurotsuchi. Now, the woman is at least half an hour away from us, so only the fastest one of us must go. Neji, Kakashi and Gai will proceed and catch the woman. You are to capture her and take her back to Konohagakure. Itachi and I will remain." Neji and Gai immediately protested at their leader's selfless act, but it was Kakashi who silenced them, forcing them to leave immediately. The man knew what Naruto intended and thus he hoped it would be enough to stop them. Itachi, meanwhile, maintained his usual expression, as if Naruto's choice hadn't fazed him at all. Kakashi turned his back to Naruto.

"I don't want to go home and tell them you won't be returning Naruto. Believe me, Kushina and Yugao would kill me for being the messenger." The shadow over Naruto's eye couldn't indicate his reaction.

"Ever since I was born, Iwagakure has attempted to kill my family and Konoha. We cannot allow that scroll to reach Kumogakure, you and I both know that. The enemy wants me. You three on the other hand can go and stop her. I want you to capture her and take her to Konohagakure. What matters is Konoha, Kakashi. I promise, though, that Iwagakure will see the error in their ways, even if I have to march in there and kill every one of them. Now go Kakashi, you're wasting precious time." The silver haired jounin nodded and left together with Neji and Gai. As soon as they left, an entire rain of projectiles flew from Iwagakure's battalion towards the three escaping Konoha ninja. Grabbing his weapons, Naruto focused an insane amount of chakra and began his spinning movement.

_**Fuuton Dai Gufuukiri (**__Wind Release: Great Hurricane Cutter Technique)_

A huge hurricane appeared in front of the projectiles, slicing them all in two, before Iwa's very eyes. After the wind died down, Itachi took a step near Naruto.

"Will you explain to me why you felt that I was the most suited for whatever it is you're planning?" Naruto's answer, after placing his trench knives inside his kunai holster, was to smile.

"I always wondered why you never used one of your Mangenkyou techniques against me when we sparred." Itachi kept looking at his blond comrade for a while, before doing something that was long overdue.

Itachi smirked. Choosing Naruto as a rival was perhaps the best choice he ever made.

* * *

**===With Kakashi===**

Using great speed, the three ninjas were after Kurotsuchi in order to stop her from giving the scroll to Kumogakure. With Naruto staying, Kakashi was nominated the leader of the assignment, thus he was up front with Neji and Gai flanking him. Kakashi could see their worried faces since it matched his own regarding Naruto's safety. He saw merit in Naruto's planning, even if it wasn't one hundred certain that it would work. Now, though, wasn't the time to worry about the blond. Like Naruto said, if the scroll reached Kumogakure, Konoha would face yet another war and this time it would take a miracle for the leaf to survive through.

"Neji, how far is Kurotsuchi and how fast is she moving? Can you spot her with your byakugan?" The Hyuuga nodded and used his dojutsu. The entire landscape appeared in front of him as he scanned as much distance as possible. After thirty seconds, it seemed unlikely that he would be able to reach her position and that alone scared Neji. Suddenly, though, his eyes managed to find the damn woman. "I managed to find her, she is still half an hour away from us, but we're gaining on her even if barely." Kakashi nodded and started thinking for a while. Chakra alone wouldn't be any good. She will have reached Kumo by the time they've reached her position.

"Gai, how long can you sustain the gates?" The question was meant with full teeth smile from the green clothes jounin.

"Close to twenty minutes non-stop, but once I activate it, I cannot deactivate." Kakashi nodded, already devising a suitable strategy.

"Okay every one, pump as much chakra as you can so that we can diminish the distance between us. Then, Gai will open the gates and capture her, before she reaches Kumo. Don't worry about the possibility of Kumo interfering, Neji and I will deal with them." Gai and Neji nodded, before focusing on every single drop of chakra still inside them and increasing their pace. Kurotsuchi may notice they are on to her and do the same thing, but they had more chakra than her. Not to mention that she wasted a lot as well at the battle against Naruto.

* * *

**===In Konoha===**

Inside the Hokage's office, Minato was working like crazy in order to assess the village's military resources, as well as gather a list of available shinobi. A great majority of the ninjas were busy right now performing missions for the village. Some of the missions required less time, so he wasn't worried about those. Most of them would be dealt with in a day or two or a week at the most. The most sensitive assignments, aka black ops assignments, deserved his utmost attention. All of the infiltrators had ways of communicating with them, but in doing so, there is a risk of the villages finding out and capturing these shinobi. Quickly grabbing a blank scroll, he issued a clandestine mission to one of his most trusted Anbu operatives, one codenamed Yamato.

His mission was to gather the infiltrators and bring them back without arising suspicion.

With the mokuton ability and an impressive knowledge of doton techniques, Yamato was considered one of Konoha's top infiltrators. Right now, Minato needed his most powerful ninjas just in case Naruto failed and the scroll ended up falling in the Raikage's hands by the end of the day. He estimated at least two weeks for the man's forces to mobilize, which meant that Yamato had the same time to gather the majority of the black ops assignment. Minato was startled by the sudden knock on the door, but authorized it anyway. His desk was filled with paperwork to be done and thus he would have to start using the floor if the next pile is waiting at the other side of the door.

When the door opened, Minato was surprised to see the ninja responsible for communications between villages and countries, holding a single scroll in his hand.

"Hokage-sama, the reply from the Daimyou has just arrived." The Yondaime nodded and asked the ninja to hand it to him. Even if Minato knew the man would do nothing to aid them against Kumogakure, Minato felt obliged to tell the Fire Lord about Iwa's latest transgression and the possible involvement of yet another major hidden village. The Yondaime even finished his letter asking the Fire Lord to guide him in what needed to be done, in hopes that the man would take initiative and talk with the Lightning Lord about this entire mess. After appreciating and dismissing the chunnin, Minato carefully opened the scroll, as if he was waiting for a booby trap hidden inside. The contents of the reply letter could very well mean the end of this nightmare.

* * *

_Yondaime-dono,_

_I have reviewed the information and you can take my word that my office will be implementing a much more severe punishment to Earth Country and Iwagakure. As of right now, any trade agreements made with them will be immediately terminated, along with a suitable penalty for the resolution. Fire Country's income won't be affected much and we'll be able to lower Earth Country's financial situation, leaning on bankruptcy. I'm quite sure that the Earth Daimyou will demand compensation from Iwagakure, which then will be stripped of resources to survive. That means more mission requests for Konohagakure._

_However, as to the Kumo's potential involvement in this manner, I'm afraid I can't do much about it. First, there is no concrete evidence that they are even involved in this and second, Fire Country has just concluded a very profitable business agreement with Lightning Country. Without any concrete evidence, my office can't simply demand anything from them, from fear of disrupting the business agreement. My hands are tied in this manner._

_Hi no Kuni Daimyou._

* * *

Minato read the letter three times so that he could calm himself. He was already expecting the Daimyou's lack of will in helping Konoha, but to actually admit focusing more on money than people's lives was something else. Even if Iwagakure would receive more penalties and would most likely be stripped of funds by the Earth Daimyou, Minato's problem wasn't yet over. He still had to deal with the prospect of a full out war and the possibility of many shinobis and kunoichis being killed. Now, more than ever, he needed to receive good news from Naruto's team.

Perhaps if the scroll never reached Kumo, Konoha might have a better chance of survival.

Quickly issuing the order to Yamato, Minato figured that he would keep a kage bunshin behind to take care of the work load and spend some quality time with his loving wife and daughter. He wished that his son was there as well with them and out of harm's way. Perhaps this was the first time he imagined what his life would be in the event of his eldest son's demise to Iwagakure and he couldn't help but shiver at the possibility.

Worst, he considered the possibility of his son sacrificing himself to save the village.

* * *

**===In the Namikaze Household===**

As soon as Minato arrived, he was surprised to see not two but three individuals sitting at the living room, talking. He could feel the tense environment as Kushina and Yuugao were discussing the events that lead to today and Naruto's mission. Misao was on the floor playing. All three looked at the Yondaime, before Yuugao got up and bowed in respect to her Kage as she happened to be an Anbu Captain. Minato was quick to dismiss such need as the woman was on a two day leave from active duty.

"Minato-kun, any word from Naruto?" Minato looked at his wife and nodded with his eyes closed.

"Not yet, but we should receive one anytime now. Naruto had assembled a nice team; I know that they will be able to return." Frightening her wouldn't do him any good right now. He didn't know anything yet about the mission, so he couldn't assume the worst and start telling everyone. Looking at Yuugao from the corner of his eye, he could tell that the woman was worried for his son's safety. Minato couldn't help but smile at his son's choice for a girlfriend. "Yuugao, I can see you're worried about him, but don't worry. Naruto is strong and no enemy should be able to deal with him as well as Kakashi and Itachi at the same time." The Anbu captain nodded with a smile on her face.

"I appreciate it Hokage-sama, I have faith that he will come back from this." Minato nodded, before joining his daughter on the ground. She was playing with Naruto's old toys.

The smile on her face, even if oblivious to the situation, managed to ease the situation. Pretty much the entire village was counting on Naruto's mission to be successful. If not, then at least, the Hokage hoped that his son would return to him and his family alive and not inside a casket. Minato was also confidant about Fenrir-sama, the head of the wolf clan, coming to Naruto's aid in the event of his defeat to the Iwa platoon.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Naruto, Itachi and Kaen (Blaze) were busy fending off against the platoon. It was clear that they were taking their time in killing Naruto as they had yet to charge all at once, opting to throw wave after wave of projectiles, trying to tire the remnants of energy from Konoha. Itachi, for his part, wondered why they were taking so long to begin the attack. Such amateurism would mean their demise and here they were underestimating Konoha, because of the superiority in numbers. Naruto sure anticipated this, but parrying the projectiles coming from an entire platoon was starting to irritate him. Crossing eyes with Itachi for a moment, both nodded.

It was time to begin Naruto's plan.

The Iwa commander was startled upon sensing the sudden surge in chakra coming from all three of them and immediately ordered their deaths. Itachi activated his Mangenkyou Sharingan and Kaen (Blaze) engulfed his entire body into red flames. Naruto, meanwhile, was busy doing a quick succession of hand seals as he focused the majority of his chakra for this specific technique. They had only one chance at this and it was up to Naruto to direct the attack. Soon both Itachi and Naruto screamed in unison.

_**Ametarasu**_

_**Fuuton Kyomou Shippuu**__ (Wind Release: Great Hurricane Technique)_

_**Gassaku Ninjutsu: Kuroihisaki no Shippuu**__ (Collaboration Ninjutsu: Black Flames Hurricane Technique)_

Together with Kaen's fire, Naruto directed his hurricane to join with Itachi's Ametarasu and thus the creation inspired fear in the entire platoon as the attack nearly combusted the entire forest. Some of the platoon was forced to evade until they managed to escape the fire's reach, but many weren't so lucky. Just like before, a great number of screams of anguish could be heard as their bodies were torched. Once the flames of Ametarasu touch them, there was no way to escape. Panting for breath, Naruto and Itachi looked at the destruction caused by their combined jutsu. The entire forest was reduced to ashes and black flames. Kaen had to be dismissed because he had already reached the end of his energy.

Itachi's eyes were bleeding, so he deactivated the Mangenkyou in order to save some energy if needed.

Despite their situation, he couldn't help but marvel at the level of destruction caused by the union of a wind technique with his black flames.

"You know that fifteen of them are still amongst the living, don't you?" Itachi asked, earning a nod from Naruto as he took his trench knives once more.

"I know. Those were pretty smart, going further away to escape the flames. Want to bet who takes out the most?" Itachi nodded as he too took out his Anbu ninjato as all fifteen enraged enemies charged at them at the same time. The first part of the plan worked like a charm. Now it came the second and most crucial part of the plan devised by Naruto as the two Konoha ninjas engaged in full out battle against fifteen angry Iwa jounins. Survive.

* * *

**===With Kakashi===**

The sudden surge of chakra alerted Kakashi, Neji and Gai as they quickly looked back and were shocked to see a Black hurricane rising like a fierce dragon up in the sky. The fact that they could sense the chakra all the way from their position spoke highly of that technique's magnitude. It didn't take long for the jounins to realize the real reason behind Naruto choosing himself and Itachi to stay behind. Mangenkyou Sharingan technique Ametarasu was considered the strongest fire ninjutsu in existence and once augmented by Naruto's high level wind jutsus, it could deal quite an extensive blow to Iwa's army. However, all three of them knew that it wouldn't be enough to wipe everyone out, meaning that they still had to deal with the survivors and without much chakra to use.

"Gai, Neji, let's speed things up. Neji, how close are we?" Kakashi asked, focusing more chakra through his feet.

"Ten minutes away and closing. She'll be reaching the border within fifteen minutes." Kakashi nodded and turned to Gai.

"Prepare the gates, Gai…"

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Itachi and Naruto stood there watching the raged look on the few enemies that remained alive after their coordinated ninjutsu. Behind the rest of the platoon, were the remnants of a once exuberant display of flora and fauna, now reduced to ashes by the still burning black fire of Ametarasu. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the repetition of events throughout his life. Every time, Naruto faced odds just as this one, against much higher numbers. Throughout the battle's progress, the enemy's faces usually transformed from arrogant to enraged, possibly because of the fact that no matter what they did, what they tried, Iwagakure seemed incapable of killing either him or his father for good. To them, Naruto and Minato were plagues that needed to be exterminated.

From the entire platoon, fifteen enemies remained.

It could be considered a victory for Naruto and Itachi, if not for the fact that all fifteen of them were jounin level shinobi. Quickly assessing the situation, Naruto could see that despite not showing, Itachi was beginning to feel the lack of chakra. His face betrayed very little, but Naruto could see his legs twitching every so often, which also meant that his muscles were feeling the drain from both the travel here and the battle that took part before this one. The blond still had some chakra left to spare and he was imagining ways of fighting the Iwa jounins as well as covering his partner. He got the feeling that Itachi would hate him for what he was about to do.

_**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**__ (Shadow Clone Jutsu)_

The Uchiha was surprised to see a second Naruto standing next to him and looked at the original with a clear frown. It was understandable. Hell, Naruto himself would be pissed if someone did this to him. Naruto's action was the equivalent of stating that Itachi was too weak right now to even protect himself and that represented quite a blow to the man's pride, who in turn had fire travelling through his blood vessels. The Uchiha Clan is a clan of warriors, after all. Eventually, Itachi gave one final answer to Naruto.

"Next time you do something like this, you'll regret it dearly." Naruto had no doubt that he would, considering the possible damage that could be delivered by those eyes.

"It's better to regret in the future, then visiting your casket. Now quit complaining and let's deal with these bastards."

Letting go of the blow to his pride for the moment, Itachi nodded just as the Iwa-nins charged at them, not surprisingly, at the same time. Naruto immediately parried two swords with his trench knives, before a third one impaled him from behind. Itachi suffered the same as his came from the right. Their bodies, though, were replaced with wood. Naruto, Naruto's clone and Itachi appeared from behind them and managed to land some serious cuts with their weapon, before having to back off. Their chakra supply was good enough for only low level techniques, so it was straight tai and kenjutsu from now on. That didn't mean the same to the Iwa team, as a great number of them started making hand seals.

_**Doton Doryuudan (**__Earth Release: Earth Dragon Projectile Technique)_

The mud projectiles charged against the three Konoha ninjas with vicious speed, forcing them to use their agility and evade, even if barely, the majority of the projectiles. Unleashing a great load of shurikens and kunais, both Itachi and Naruto threw them at the enemy, confident that at least one of them wouldn't be able to deflect the weapons. Much to their frustration, though, the only kunai that got through happened to pin a jounin's shoulder. Focusing some chakra to his feet, Naruto charged with great speed and passed through the enemy's group, before appearing right in front of the ninja with the kunai pinned on his shoulder. The man was so surprised by the speed that he only muttered the words yellow flash before Naruto's trench knives performed a clean cut on his chest, thus killing the man. The other ninjas surrounding the two managed to pierce Naruto's stomach, but the blond already performed a replacement technique.

Meanwhile, Itachi and Naruto's clone were dealing with at least five jounins as they managed to come up with a suitable strategy. Naruto's clone was responsible for parrying the strikes, while Itachi attacked the ones that attacked the clone. With his sharingan, he could increase the speed and anticipate the enemy's movements, so that by the time the clone parried a strike, Itachi would already move for the strike. With this, he managed to kill two of them, aiding the clone with the third kill. Both Itachi and the clone visibly flinched at the sound caused by a punch to the real Naruto's face, no doubt laced with earth chakra. Despite the pain, Naruto didn't succumb and flipped his body in mid-air, instead of letting gravity run its course. As he stepped on the ground, Itachi and the clone joined him as the three looked at the remaining enemies.

"Can't you pick a couple of them and bind them for some time? That will give me and the clone ample time to get rid of them." Naruto asked as he looked at his partner from the corner of his eye.

Itachi just nodded and performed a quick succession of hand seals, before the enemy could come and slice his head off. Genjutsus were techniques with as much chakra as a low-level ninjutsu. The Uchiha merely pointed at the enemies, before the hallucinations began. Naruto could see that their postures changed dramatically and charged quickly to deal with the two. On the way, he had to dodge the other's attacks, before landing simultaneous hits, killing both with one strike using both his knives. The sudden surge of chakra came from behind, as a mud bullet the size of his head was about to hit his face dead on. A sudden fire ball, same size, came out of nowhere and deflected the mud bullet. Looking to Itachi panting for breath, Naruto nodded at the man in appreciation, before deciding to eliminate the difference in numbers a little bit. Focusing on his lightning techniques, Naruto did a couple of hand seals and extended both his arms aiming at three Iwa jounins.

_**Raiton **__**Denkougun**__(Lightning Element: Lightning Force Technique)_

The stream of lightning that left Naruto's hands went straight to the three Iwa's bodies, sending thousands and thousands of volts into their systems, frying their organs. Slightly looking to his left, Naruto saw three other jounins charging at him with their ninjatos, threatening to slice Naruto piece by piece. Quickly stopping the lightning technique, Naruto parried two swords with his weapons and managed to kick the third jounin on the stomach. The third sword, though, managed to pierce his shoulder, followed by a great amount of pain. By this time, the clone approached from behind and killed the three. Seeing as the number diminished, Naruto dismissed the clone, because he wouldn't be able to keep it up for another minute. Five enemies left, both he and Itachi were sweating bullets. Itachi suddenly kneeled on the ground hard as his legs couldn't hold him anymore.

"It seems the odds are too much against us, Naruto." The comment was an understatement, Naruto mused.

"Yeah, it seems so. It seems I only have enough chakra for one more technique, but it will have to do." The blond was only wishing he didn't have to resort so much for his help.

* * *

**===With Kakashi===**

Unaware of the vicious fight where he left Naruto, Kakashi and his comrades managed to spot the small form of Kurotsuchi travelling towards Lightning Country.

"Gai, you're up."

Looking to his right, he could see that the green beast was already flooding with energy. His face was blood red and his eyes were yellow as the sixth gate was opened. The sudden surge of energy alerted the Iwa jounin, but it was too late for her to do anything about it. With amazing speed, Gai crossed the field and managed to pass her position, before standing in front of her defiantly, with the gates still open. The adrenaline needed to maintain the gates open wasn't there anymore, so Gai was slowly losing his consciousness. His eyes were starting to close, but he opened them as soon as the woman tried to pass by him. He grabbed her leg and threw her with extreme force backwards.

At this exact moment, both Kakashi and Neji arrived next to him, as Gai fell asleep with a smile on his face.

To him, the mission was considered successful with his rival there to stop the woman from crossing the border.

Looking at the horizon, Kakashi couldn't see or feel any presence of Kumo shinobi, which was to be expected. The team sent to meet the Iwa battalion probably had to send confirmation of the scroll delivery. If that didn't happen, then Kumo would assume that the mission was a failure and back off immediately. They couldn't be blamed for this if it turned out against their best wish. They could even disavow the three Kumo shinobi that went to meet the Iwa battalion, explaining that the three ninjas acted against the Raikage's orders and were considered missing-nins because of this. It was a simple bureaucratic problem to be fixed through the forging of documents. Kakashi had seen it multiple times at the last great ninja war and even afterward.

If Kumogakure wants to strike, they will move without alerting attention beforehand from fear of suffering the consequences of the neutrality agreement between the five hidden villages.

"Neji. Take care of Gai. I'll handle her." The Hyuuga nodded, before Kakashi turned to the enemy with his Sharingan ablaze. "Now, Kurotsuchi I believe is your name. You'll be coming with us to Konoha."

That alone surprised the woman as she looked at the famous Sharingan no Kakashi. Before, she had the assistance of two battalions and could very easily escape if needed be. Now, she was outnumbered and facing one of the most deadly ninjas out there. The Hyuuga was also a problem, but not as much as Kakashi. She was so close from her goal. Once she crossed the border, Konoha wouldn't be fool enough to cross the border as well, because then Kumo would have enough reason to engage in combat. Now, she was facing the possibility of being captured by the enemy. She didn't know why Konoha would want her for, though.

"Why is Konoha interested in capturing me? What could they gain from this?" Kakashi wasn't that much interested in answering, since the woman was just buying herself a bit of time. However, he relented.

"It is clear to me as it was to Naruto, that you're considered the leader of this entire assignment. Counting the two battalions, a considerable number of ninjas, they all responded to your order, which means you're the leader. Also, said mission just couldn't be trusted to anyone, so you must be related to the Tsushikage either by blood or something else, to gain his utmost trust. As to what could we gain from capturing you, this is the simple cease and desist from Iwagakure. Naruto is proof to your Tsushikage's acts against the pact of neutrality and be sure to expect even more dire consequences for your village because of it. Now, we can go peacefully and without much effort, or….well, you can guess the other choice."

Kurotsuchi looked at Kakashi for a while as she pondered on what came from Kakashi's mouth. She started this mission thinking nothing would happen. Kumogakure would receive all the necessary information about Konoha and Iwagakure would buy season tickets to watch the tree huggers' destruction. Now, her entire life flipped upside down. Not only because of her failed mission, but also the prospect of being captured by the enemy and worse, be used as means of a bargain that will no doubt end with her home village's demise. As a seasoned jounin, she knew bits and pieces about Konoha's Interrogation Department and the man responsible for it. She heard stories of said man's mind games and wasn't looking forward to being subjected to one of them.

Her mission ended in failure. The man in front of her pretty much told her that.

That didn't mean, though, that she would let them capture her. Her odds, though, were slim considering that they had the advantage in numbers as well as in quality. Kakashi was hailed as one of the Leaf's strongest jounins and no one would underestimate a Hyuuga, jounin or not. The scarecrow jounin, for his part, was calmly analyzing the woman's reaction. The more time they wasted, the less chance he had of returning to Naruto and Itachi. He had faith in them, though, to survive the battle. Both ninjas had extensive knowledge in facing multiple enemies and Itachi knew enough about odds to realize when it's better to retreat than fight.

"Your lack of answer authorizes me to choose it for you." Kakashi said, alerting Kurotsuchi. The man quickly threw shurikens after her with deadly accuracy, forcing the woman to dodge. Kakashi opened his Sharingan once more and charged in plain taijutsu against the Iwa jounin. Kurotsuchi was a long-range ninjutsu user and thus only passable in close-ranged combat. She was defending as best as possible, but it was clear that Kakashi would start landing hits quite soon. Quickly summoning a mud bunshin to take some distance, the woman performed a great sequence of hand seals, before gathering a great level of air inside her lungs.

_**Youton Yougan Name **__(Lava Release: Lava Wave Technique)_

Kakashi saw the technique coming and simply jumped away from the wave. Looking down, he realized that the woman ended up forming a river of lava. If he landed there, he would need a lot of chakra to avoid direct contact. Quickly going through hand seals, Kakashi created a small jet of water towards a specific location of the river, before seeing the lava dissipate for a short three seconds in that location. Quickly, he landed on the spot and jumped away from the river of lava. Kurotsuchi took the opportunity and threw a couple of shurikens at Kakashi, but the man deflected them all with a kunai, before landing on the nearest tree. Unleashing a strong fireball, Kakashi didn't wait for the technique to hit the earth wall lifted by the enemy and charged quickly, knowing that the woman's sight would be limited. He immediately sank on the ground and waited until the wall of earth was dissipated.

To his surprise, something happened or rather something beneath him, expelled him from the ground.

Looking at the girl in front of him, he realized that she had extensive knowledge of earth based techniques to be fooled that easily. Throwing more shurikens, Kakashi moved with great speed towards the enemy, realizing that she had the advantage in long range. With the help of the Sharingan, he could dodge the lava and mud bullets coming his way, as well as unleash a new wave of shurikens, without alerting her. The woman was surprised and managed to evade most of the weapons. One managed to create quite a scratch on her left cheek. She realized that this weapon could seriously slice her face in half and kill her. Kakashi didn't give her time and went through a great series of hand seals.

_**Raiton Raikou no Ookami **__(Lightning Release: Lightning Wolf Technique)_

The wolf charged with extreme ferocity at the woman. Lifting another earth barrier wouldn't do her any good as lightning was stronger than earth based techniques. She had to evade the damn wolf. All of a sudden, though, a wave of invisible chakra hit her back and she was thrown directly towards the wolf, receiving thousands and thousands of volts through her system, damaging her organs. Her scream echoed throughout the valley as the pain became too much for her to endure. She only had enough time to know that the Hyuuga was extending his arm directly at her, meaning that he was the one who created the invisible force of chakra. She had failed her village and probably for the last time.

Deactivating the Sharingan, Kakashi sighed and quickly took every scroll that the woman had at her disposal. He later on found the one and stored inside a seal inscribed on his wrist.

The two, then, went back to Konoha. Neji carried the unconscious enemy after sealing her tenketsus and Kakashi took Gai. With nothing more to do, both of them hoped that Naruto and Itachi would return to Konoha as well. The mission was hereby a success, but a success is only truly measured by the sacrifices of the shinobi involved. Because of Naruto's sacrifice, the team managed to increase Konoha's odds of survival at the war.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Itachi was already on the ground unconscious and Naruto was kneeling next to him, panting for breath. In front of him, were the remnants of the Iwa's battalion and in all of their faces, Naruto could see the unhidden satisfaction upon finally having the chance to take his head off and present to the Tsushikage in a silver platter. Naruto wondered if Kakashi managed to stop Kurotsuchi from handling the scroll to Kumogakure. The mission and reason for his sacrifice was for Konoha's odds to improve in the upcoming war. Looking at his enemies once more, Naruto remembered every damn situation he had ever had with a ninja from Iwagakure.

As each event passed, his blood started to boil.

No matter how many attempts were averted, they still wanted either his or his father's head. Realizing that attacking Minato was stupid, Iwa focused their attention on Naruto instead. And even so, they failed. After Naruto, no doubt Iwagakure would go for the next target, perhaps his little sister Misao or his mother Kushina. With that realization, Naruto's slowly closing eyes opened up with surprise intensity. He couldn't allow Iwa to go after them. But he was too weak to pose any threat. His chakra was the only thing that kept awake as he pondered on what was about to happen. He had to do something to stop them. Passing his hand through his bleeding arm, Naruto quickly performed hand seals, before slamming his hands on the ground.

Smoke had erupted, but he was already unconscious.

* * *

**===Konoha – two days later===**

By this time, Namikaze Minato was already growing worried over the possibility of Naruto and Itachi never returning from their assignment. Yesterday, Kakashi Neji and Gai arrived with their captive and the scroll, indicating that the mission was a success. All of them learned that the captive was in fact the Tsushikage's granddaughter. Upon hearing his student's report, Minato couldn't help but feel proud of his son's decision. Proud and even more worried, considering that Naruto chose to remain behind and face an entire battalion worth of Iwa shinobi. In less than half an hour, Minato had analyzed the contents of the scroll, sent the captive to Ibiki for questioning, sent a team to investigate Naruto and Itachi's situation and informed the Daimyou to initiate the dealings with the Earth Daimyo, regarding Iwa's cease and desist, as well as obtain the financial compensation which would contribute to Iwa's bankruptcy.

He couldn't tell what happened at home before knowing exactly what happened with his son. Kami knew that his wife wouldn't take it.

However, the pain in his chest was uncontrollable and he had trouble breathing a bit. The thought of losing Naruto was even more palpable.

All of a sudden, Kakashi stormed inside the office with urgent news, it appeared.

"Sensei, one of our scouts found a wolf approaching Konoha and it fits the description of Fenrir-sama, the leader of the wolf clan. He should be by the west gate in ten minutes." Minato's eyes widened suddenly as he considered the possibility that Fenrir came to inform of Naruto's demise personally. Kakashi only needed to blink, before he was grabbed by Minato and teleported instantly towards the place where Fenrir was scheduled to appear. Kakashi took a while to acknowledge that he had just crossed the entire village in little less than a second, before seeing his sensei standing next to him and looking at the horizon. His eyes were fixed on the shape that appeared, walking towards the gates.

The leader of the wolf clan walked towards the Hokage carrying the unconscious forms of Itachi and Naruto on his back. Both of their bodies were bloodied and full of bruises.

The Yondaime Hokage waited for anything to come out of the wolf's mouth as his anxiety was uncontrollable. The wolf could hear the Yondaime's heart pounding like crazy in anticipation. He knew the reason, though, as through the entire mission, he could feel Naruto's situation decreasing. It was lucky that Naruto had just enough chakra to summon him or Iwa would certainly be able to kill him. Fenrir wished to be called upon sooner, but it worked out in the end.

"**You don't need to worry, Yondaime-sama. Naruto here called me just before succumbing to chakra exhaustion. Both of them are just unconscious, with considerable bruises and extensive loss of blood, though"** The big, exuberant and relieved smile on the man's face was evidence of his relief. He and Kakashi immediately took Naruto and Itachi to the hospital, while Minato sent a kage bunshin to tell the news to Yuugao and Kushina.

Their Naruto had returned, after all.

* * *

**Author Note**

Wow, tension from beginning to end, right?

Naruto's plan, even if involved self-sacrifice, managed to work and thus Iwagakure wasn't able to deliver the scroll to Kumogakure. However, will this be enough to stop the Raikage from attacking? I'm quite sure that some of you had read the title and believed that the doomed nation was Konoha, right? I bet none of you believed that Iwagakure would be the doomed nation. Not only financially broken but also without his granddaughter, the Tsushikage ended up sending his village to its doom.

Now, what about Konoha?

Find out next chapter.

See ya.


	32. A fool's demise

**Author Note**

Hello there and welcome to another Chapter of Full Moon.

I'm sorry to say that one major thing in my planning kind of backfired. The thing is that I was planning five chapters to end it and this would be the fourth one, correct? No actually. This will be the last one. The material for the two last chapters aren't that extensive, so I figured that it would be better if I used one instead of two chapters and take another month to do the last one. I really believe my readers won't be upset with me about this, considering that I'll manage to devote more time to the other in progress stories with this one finished. I believe, though, that after this one, you all will understand why I did this. If not, then I really can't do anything about it.

The chapter is really just a consequence of everything that happened since the beginning of the story with Konoha being the good guy and Iwagakure, the bad one.

Now, before I can proceed with the chapter, let's devote some time to the reviews.

**Wyrtha – **Oh I believe that he will do something, but nothing related to his granddaughter.

**Bowtechsniper** – I don't plan on execution, but rather a much worse suffering,

**Kmaster** – Naruto's transformation occurs only when the full moon is up…hence the title of the story.

**To late** – Actually, it is, sorry. As I stated earlier, this is the last chapter and Kurenai doesn't even appear much in this story.

Well, that it's it. Here is the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 32 – A fool's demise**

**Beta: Kyuubi123**

* * *

The day started just like any other in Konoha; cerulean blue sky, gentle winds, and scorching hot.

Compared to the events that transpired three days ago, the village in the morning was an oasis of tranquility with the population enjoying the nice day blessed by the previous Hokages that stood watch through the monument built for them. Ignorant by the events that transpired between ninjas from Konoha and Iwagakure, the village's population proceeded with their current duties. The two heroes that managed to quite possibly save the village from yet another war were currently in their respective peaceful sleep within two hospital rooms, each surrounded by their loved ones. In Naruto's room, were Kushina, Yuugao and little Misao and in Itachi's room was his mother Mikoto. In Naruto's room, the two women and girl were anxiously waiting for Naruto's awakening, which according to Tsunade, would happen any minute now. The two women were already used to these kind of situations, but Misao wasn't and the girl was quite anxious to see her niisan awake once more.

"Misao-chan, could you please stop for a minute. Your brother is alright, he's just sleeping."

The little girl looked down in shame, but nodded. Kushina had to control herself actually not to be anxious as well.

She was used to seeing Minato like this for a long time, but this was her son lying there sleeping for three days already. Misao looked at her mother to see that her eyes and smile were somewhat different from before. She had yet to see her mother like this and it worried her. Yuugao, though, understood. She remembered how relieved she was that her Naruto had returned to her safe and sound. The Anbu was already picturing how she would run to Iwa and kill as many Iwa shinobi as possible if something were to happen to Naruto. As an Anbu, though, she couldn't just skip duty and stay there, but her unit – hence her family – understood her need to be by the man she loved. She was covered for the time being. She had to laugh, though. Even her almost mother in law was willing to back her up in case anyone figured out that she was skipping duty. The Anbu looked at the man that stole her heart there sleeping like a golden angel and she couldn't help but smile since in a few minutes, he would be there once more to keep her heart warmed and filled with joy.

Neither women nor girl were startled when a bright yellow light enveloped the room, before the village leader appeared to check on his eldest son.

"Nothing yet?" Both Kushina and Yuugao confirmed it before looking at Naruto for a while.

"Tsunade said he should wake up any moment now." Kushina said, earning a nod from Minato followed by a sad smile.

"I was hoping to be here when he woke up, but I have a meeting with the Fire Daimyou in a few minutes. He has some urgent news for me. I wonder if it's in relation to either Kumo or Iwagakure."

Minato then left just as he arrived, through his famous technique.

* * *

**===In Kumo===**

Far away from the hidden village in the leaves, another hidden village was in uproar with ninjas from Kumogakure running around frantically throughout the hidden village in the clouds. It was their Raikage's wish that the village got ready to invade the now weakened Konoha. Because of that, the village had to make the necessary provisions, establish security measures in case of retaliations from other villages and assess their weaponry so as to be as ready as they could possibly be and overcome once and for all one of Kumo's worst enemies, Konohagakure. Every shinobi, from chunnin and above, knew how pissed their leader was when he was told that the scroll detailing Konoha's strengths and weaknesses wouldn't be arriving anytime soon. It should be at least expected that without said information, than it would be too risky to attack a village that managed to remain victorious after the invasion of not one, but three hidden villages at the same time.

However, the Raikage wasn't known as cautious, so it came to no surprise that the man was even more adamant than before about attacking.

Currently, he was inside a giant meeting room next to his most trusted jounins, as they conversed about the plan of the invasion. The man's appearance was enough to intimidate anyone, no matter what. His tall and muscular frame was easily bigger than most shinobi out there. He used a loose white kage's robe, which was opened to reveal his highly defined chest muscles and tones abdomen, as well as a belt giving the image of a professional wrestler. Once the meeting started, the village leader got up from his chair, ushering everyone to quiet down as he spoke.

"Alright, let's get this thing started. Even if our plans were ruined, regarding the scroll from Iwa, we still have the advantage in numbers and power. It was damn foolish of me to believe that anything good would come from a lowly rock-nin. Shee, where are we with the village's weaponry?" The man named Shee was at least half the size of the Raikage, if not less. He had short blond hair and wore the Kumo's jounin vest, on top of a full black shirt. Despite his presumably lack of muscle built, he was one of the most trusted jounins under the Raikage's charge. When the Raikage needed to leave the village, Shee was always chosen as one of his personal bodyguards.

"We should be ready by tonight, Raikage-sama. A couple of katanas were still due to be purchased, but the supplier will deliver them in a couple of hours. The rest is all set."

The Raikage nodded and then took a seat with a smile on his face. Soon, the world would know Kumo's strength as Konoha burns to the ground by lightning.

"Okay, then, our army will leave in two days, so everyone must be ready by…" The Raikage suddenly stopped talking as he was disturbed by a man who entered the meeting room, flanked by his samurai division. He had dark skin color and wore glasses. His outfit was extremely familiar as only a select few throughout the elemental nations were allowed to use it. Actually, only one man in each country had the power to use such outfit and each one hold great power over things. The Lightning Country's Daimyou held an aloof expression on his face as he approached near the Raikage's seat. He was probably the only one who was able to shut the Raikage up, which was saying something, despite him being a Daimyou.

"Greetings Raikage-sama, I've received some interesting news upon arriving in your village this morning. An old friend of mine said you were seeking to invade Konohagakure. I do hope he was just telling me a joke as I don't remember any information in this regard coming from you." The man's face still remained aloof as he now waited for the Raikage's response. The other occupants inside the room looked at their leader in question, since they all understood what the Daimyou just implied.

"Because of the recent invasion against Konoha, the village is now weakened and therefore won't be able to resist against an attack from us."

The Daimyou just snorted at the man's hunger for even more power.

"It was by luck that I happen to be here today otherwise you'd proceed without my consent. Lightning Country has a lot of trading agreements with Fire Country that certainly would be terminated once your army crossed the border. Your income comes from missions and I understand that with Konoha gone, you'd be receiving more. But Lightning Country's income comes from its many trading agreements with other countries, which would be seriously endangered if I were to approve your invasion." The Daimyou as well as the others could see the Raikage's muscles trembling in anger, but he was used to the man using violence instead of arguments. He, then, turned his back to the Raikage and turned to leave, but not before finishing the fight with a jab.

"You should sometimes focus on the bigger picture, Raikage. Your short-sized nature would possibly ruin this country."

The jounins that were in the room began to leave the room as they had to communicate the village to abandon everything and resume the village's hired missions.

* * *

**===Konoha's hospital===**

Slowly but surely, Naruto felt the light from outside as he slowly opened his eyes to see the white ceilings once more. Last thing he remembered was doing the hand seals required for summoning the king of wolves, hoping that he had enough chakra for the task. By the looks of things – Konoha was still standing – he assumed that Fenrir came through for him in the end and dealt with the rest of the iwa platoon. He was so engrossed in his thoughts, before the mark on the IV monitor awoke him from his wonderings. Pretty much the same thing happened to all the three girls inside the room, before they all approached the surprised Naruto. Not surprisingly, Misao was the first to greet him by literally jumping on him. His screams echoed throughout the entire Konoha, as his body was aching all over the place. He was covered in bandages after all. Despite everything, though, both Kushina and Yuugao started laughing at the sheepish look on Misao's face after realizing what she had done.

"Thanks for that, Misao-chan." Despite the pain, Naruto smiled upon seeing the three women he most treasured in his life there with him. It would be better if his father was there, but he knew that with a war looming, his father would be extremely busy.

"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Kushina asked, earning a nod, albeit painfully, from her son.

"Not really, but I will be. Can anyone fill me in on what's happened? What happened to Itachi and the others?" His eyes landed on his girlfriend, earning a subtle nod as she would explain.

"Kakashi-sempai managed to stop the Iwa-nin from crossing the border and retrieved the scroll. He along with Neji and Gai-san, managed to bring the Iwa-nin as captive. Itachi is alive and well inside the room next to you being treated. You had us all worried, Naruto-kun."

"Sorry for that Yuugao-chan." He smiled, which in turn forced her to do the same. She just couldn't avoid it.

* * *

**===Fire Country's capital===**

It has been two hours since Minato arrived at the meeting with the Fire Daimyou and he was now busy trying to comprehend exactly what the man was telling him. According to the Daimyou, because of Iwa's reiterated actions, the Earth Daimyou ceased all funds to Iwagakure, thus not allowing it to continue as one of the five great hidden villages. The Daimyou appeared to be smiling because of it, as the Earth Daimyou would be passing all his missions to Konoha from now on. He even smiled more upon telling that the Tsushikage committed suicide since he couldn't handle the shame of ruining the village he and his ancestors believed in. Despite the amount of pain Iwa has caused to Minato's family, the Yondaime Hokage wouldn't wish for this to happen. Because of their hatred, not only the ninjas but the population will certainly suffer. No one would be associating with the population from Iwa anymore.

It's quite sad that an entire village was ruined because of what happened almost twenty years ago.

"You don't seem as thrilled with the news as I hope you would be, Minato-kun. I know how much Iwa wanted to kill both you and your son."

Minato lifted his head and locked eyes with the Fire Daimyou.

"For all intents and purposes, it was the Tsushikage who dug his own grave, but I can't help but feel sadness for the innocent part of the population who now has to suffer because of a fool. Forgive me Daimyou-sama."

"You don't need to ask forgiveness, old friend. It's just in your nature to care for others and I happen to respect you for that, considering that you were responsible for most of Iwa's casualties during the war. Iwagakure has been targeting your family for seventeen years now, but still you feel pity for them. It's quite admirable in a way." The Fire Lord, though, evidently, believed in what was best for his country, as he was already picturing the amount of income that Konoha and Fire Country will receive from the Earth Country Daimyou's hired missions. Minato also acknowledged the greedy nature of the man in front of him, but merely nodded in response for his comment.

"Now, if you'll excuse me Daimyou-sama, I have to return to the village in order to prepare for the war against Kumo." The Daimyou nodded and was about to dismiss, when one of his advisors barged inside the office.

"Daimyou-sama, we have just now received a letter from the Lighting Country Daimyou." No sooner had he announced the letter's arrival, the advisor handed it to the Daimyou who started reading in front of Minato, who in turn decided to stay and hear what the letter says. The Daimyou of Fire Country was holding the letter close to his face as he read with severe concentration and a small amount of eagerness. After all, it wasn't common for the Daimyou of Lightning Country to send a letter without someone sending him one first.

"Now I'll be damned. It seems as if heaven is protecting Konoha, Minato-kun." The Yondaime's eyes widened instantly, before he nodded with a smile on his face. "I bet the Lightning Daimyou didn't want to risk the end of our trading agreements, hence why he prohibited this war from happening.

"Whatever the reasons were, I can now relax knowing that the war was averted. However, if the Raikage isn't going to attack Konoha, we both know he'll be aiming for Iwa now that's weakened."

The Daimyou nodded at Minato's cunningness, but the smile on the Hokage's face indicated that what meant more to the guy was the village. Minato, then, stood up and bowed to the Daimyou once more, before turning his back on the fellow ruler of fire country.

"I thank you for your time, Daimyou-sama. Now, I must go home to deliver the splendid news." The Daimyou knew Minato well enough to realize that the Hokage was already in the village before he had the time to blink.

* * *

**===At the hospital===**

The sudden yellow light once more appeared, startling everyone. As Minato saw that his son had awakened smiled, before asking him how he was feeling. He asked his son about the mission and gave the recently promoted jounin the appropriate praise after completing one of the toughest S-ranked missions assigned to shinobi after the last war. Everyone was curious why Minato still maintained his easy going smile after hearing that his son was feeling better. Minato told them everything, at least to those who could grasp what was happening, before seeing the sudden relieved looks on everyone's faces. He knew, though, that Naruto was once more thinking about the level of hatred harbored by Iwa for their family and how it drove them to, after almost twenty years, still seek revenge. Minato did understand now what his son felt all this time and he was also responsible for the situation in Iwagakure, even if none of the confrontations were started by Konoha.

He calmly approached by his son's bed and placed his hand on his shoulder with a smile on his face.

Naruto briefly nodded as he could see in his father's eyes that the two Namikazes were thinking the same thing. Even if Minato had started, it was Naruto who finished it.

In the end, it was unavoidable, though and Naruto learned how to live with it. Surely, he wished things happened differently and somehow Iwagakure learned not to meddle with what happened in the past.

They remained inside the room for a while, before Minato and Yuugao left for their respective duties. Kushina and Misao left as well, in order to purchase some new kunoichi clothes for her. Naruto was alone inside his room as he pondered on what he had to put aside, because of the war that was looming.

'_I guess that there are no further reasons to postpone it' _Naruto thought as he looked at the window with a smile on his face.

* * *

**===Konoha's Interrogation Department===**

Inside the Anbu Headquarters, there was a private room meant to torture/interrogate every ninja from other villages that were caught conspiring against Konoha. A lot of enemies had met their end being tortured to death by a man everyone in the world came to fear because of his mental torture methods. Special jounin Morino Ibiki. The name alone brought chills even to his fellow jounins as he was considered a sadist by Kakashi and Asuma. Almost every time, Ibiki would make an enemy scream, using both physical and psychological torture. Only those who had the stomach for it, was able to assist him while he performed his job with ruthless efficiency. This last enemy managed to hold her own for a couple of minutes more than the previous records, but it was impossible to keep on for long as Ibiki hardly got tired of doing what he did. There were lots of brutal torture that could be performed without having to kill the interrogated.

Eventually, she had spilled everything he wanted to know, about Iwagakure and every other information she possessed about the ninja world.

Her body was trembling and both her arms were broken and covered with her blood from deep cuts performed by Ibiki's partner Anko. Her fingers were broken one by one and her finger nails were ripped off without mercy each time she did not answer Ibiki's questions. If one thing could be count was granted was the mental state after someone sits on Ibiki's chair. Her trembling eyes were completely visible as she had relived her suffering again and again by the hands of one of Ibiki's most prized genjutsu techniques, similar to Itachi's Genjutsu Tsukyomi. When the man left, another came in and looked at the woman with lack of any form of pity upon seeing her state. He was tasked with the mission of ending the enemy's misery after Ibiki was done with him or her. He grabbed her arm and administered a special type of poison that went straight to the heart. Only one second of pain on her chest and Kurotsuchi stopped breathing instantly.

As a couple of Anbu had taken her body away for analysis, one man stood behind a dark glass, trying as much as he could in controlling his breathing. No matter how much he saw it, Minato couldn't get used to it, but he assumed this to be a blessing.

He sighed once more and wished things could be different somehow. He turned and with his eyes closed, he convinced himself that it was Iwagakure's fault for holding a grudge for so long and sacrificing kami knows how many of their shinobi just for either his or his son's head.

* * *

**===Epilogue===**

Six months had passed ever since the war was averted and things went smoothly for the Namikaze Family and Konoha. Kumogakure, like Minato predicted, did invade Iwagakure, or at least what was left of it. It was no mystery that since the village was no longer being funded by Earth Country, which led to the fool Tsushikage's suicide, the entire village was transformed into chaos. Supplies of any kind was more worthy than money and people, there, would sacrifice anything, including becoming a monster against those who once were called fellow citizens and friends. When Kumo reached the place, there was fire and destruction everywhere. In the end, all they managed to acquire was the weapon's division and some ancient scrolls of earth manipulation and jutsus. Apart from that, though, nothing significant had happened. In Konoha, the sun was shining and people were happily roaming throughout its streets. The many shinobi clan members were at their homes congregating with the other members.

The Namikaze state, though, was rather empty, at least for those who passed by in front of the estate and couldn't see anything unusual.

The garden to which anyone could see from the road was clear, empty. However, if someone were to check it more thoroughly, they would see seals located in four corners around the garden, hiding what appeared to be a congregation of sorts, albeit a small one really. The entire Namikaze family was there as well as Yuugao's mom and dad. Naruto's genin team and Anko were there as well, together with Kurenai, Kakashi, Gai, Itachi, Sasuke and Mikoto. Sarutobi and Hyuuga Clan managed to attend as well as the sannins Jiraiya and Tsunade. The Sandaime then ushered Naruto and Yuugao together from the crowd and urged them to join hands as the occasion was about to get started.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in order to join Namikaze Naruto and Uzuki Yuugao in matrimony. " As the Sandaime Hokage prepared his speech, everyone that was invited to attend started smiling, with the exception of a few, of course.

Kushina was crying her heart out for her baby.

Minato was busy calming her down, while Misao just laughed at both of them.

Jiraiya was busy taking advantage of the moment and hugged Tsunade from behind.

Tsunade was busy slapping the man real hard.

Both Naruto and Yuugao looked at their friends' antics and smiled as they turned to hear the Sandaime speak once more about the devotion and compromise needed to sustain their relationship. When both looked at each other, images from their previous years passed through as Yuugao remembered how Naruto just kept surprising her each and every time. One thing she knew, though. If someone told her that, when she first lay eyes on Naruto, that she would be marrying him ten to fifteen years later, she would never believe him or her. Looking at the veteran warrior from the special shinobi force, no one would be able to picture her as a bad-ass kunoichi, but a purple-haired goddess with a nice blue kimono that belonged to her mother when she married her father thirty years ago.

After the Sandaime declared them husband and wife, Naruto and Yuugao started a much deep kiss that actually took longer than normal, earning a whistle from Anko followed by 'get a room you two' speech.

* * *

**Author Note**

Well, that's it for Full Moon.

I'd like to thank everyone for reading the story and supporting it with excellent reviews (some bad, but I just ignore those). Now, stick up with me throughout my other in progress stories as I hope to finish my hunter-nin story next (not immediately after this one, but it will be quite soon as well). Now, I want to remember everyone about the challenges placed in my profile. The first two were already taken, but the challenges aren't limited to one author. Also, the third challenge so far remains orphan. Just for the record, though, if no one plans to take it, then I'll do myself a favor and start a new story using the idea. It's something I always planned on doing, but couldn't because of the huge amount of work in updating nine stories. With this one finished and soon the hunter-nin story, I can use the free time for the other ones as well as the third challenge.

Thanks a lot everyone and a special thanks to my beta Kyuubi123 for everything. He has been extremely helpful pointing out some errors and ways to improve my writing.

Yours truly,

Narutoenthusiast


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